To Have Loved and Lost
by Dreylen
Summary: SI. A pair of young adults are pulled into FF9 through a mysterious event, and discover what the game hid. No OC/cannon pairings. First book of the True Gaia series.
1. Prologue

Authoress' Note: So, I've finally decided to start putting some of my stories up on this site. I've been writing fanfics for several years now, but none of them really struck me as being great. As I've gotten older, I've improved my style to the point where I think I can handle showing it off.  
I used to have problems with controlling how many ideas I put into each story. Now, however, I've gotten the hang of self-control, both with my writing and in everyday life. For this reason, I think I can manage to keep a story understandable. And I hope that the characters don't start to seem too Mary-Sue-ish. I really do try to give them flaws and figure out who really wouldn't like them.

This prolouge is just to sort of set up who my two OCs are, and show their relationship with each other. The length is not the same as a proper chapter, I promise you. The chapters are currently each running about fifteen pages long. This is a measly one page.

Disclaimer: ...Really, this site is call _FAN_fic . net.If the concept of me not owning Final Fantasy 9 does not become obvious because of this, I don't know what would do so.  
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"What's the point of this?"

Two young adults were sitting in a basement, the brunette girl with her legs tucked under her on the cushioned chair. She was holding a playstation controller in her hands, but her thumbs weren't on the controllers. The girl was the older of the two, though it didn't entirely look like it due to the slight smile on her face.

"Oh come on. You like stories and all, and you said yourself that you want to see the stories in games." The girl rolled her eyes, the smirk turning into a grin. She set the controller down and stretched herself forwards, letting her hands hang down from the edge of the chair.

"Alright, alright. Which game, then?" The boy, crouching by the stack of cases, carefully tugged a wider case free from the stack, using his hand to keep the cases on top of the one he'd chosen from falling over on top of him. "Hey, careful. I don't want to get yelled at by your mom for making her headache any worse." There was amusement in her voice, showing that she was joking.

"She's put her earplugs in. She wouldn't even hear this TV falling over, even if she was awake. Here." He tossed the case to her and then sat on his own chair, an un-padded version of hers. She caught the case between both of her hands, and winced as a sharp corner planted itself into her palm. She shook the offended hand and turned the case to look at it, looking a little confused.

"Final Fantasy...Eye-ex?" The black-haired boy made a sound that seemed to be between a groan and a laugh, tilting his head back. "Oh. Roman numerals. Nine." He nodded with a wide grin that his friend couldn't help but return.

"How many blonde moments are you gonna have today, Cass?" She glared/pouted at him, which only made him laugh hard.

"Shut it, Kole." He laughed harder, his face turning red from lack of oxygen. She reached out a hand to whap him over the head, but he ducked. His laughter did make her smile in response, showing that she was fond of the boy. She read the manual of the game while waiting for him to stop laughing, and handed over the first disk of the game, blinking at the pictures of the characters. "Why's this guy have a tail...?" Kole leaned over to glance at the picture as he put the disk in.

"That'd be spoiling it." He grinned at her as she sent him a flat look and closed the CD drive of the machine. He grabbed the cord of the controller and tugged it off of Cass's lap, setting it in his own. They sat through the opening sequence before the choice to start a new game or continue one that was already started.

Kole hit the start new game button and then set the controller down to wait for the controllable part of the game to start. As soon as he set down the controller, though, the game console started to spark...through the plastic cover. Cass yelped and dove to turn off the console as Kole freaked and reached for the power cord.

The brunette yelled in pain as she was shocked by the console, and slumped over, her eyes unfocused and open, falling from her chair completely. Kole, panicking, stumbled from his chair to kneel next to Cass to check her pulse. His hand landed on the console, and the electrical sparks arced from the console up and across his body, a few sparks travelling in between him and Cass.

Meanwhile, the screen of the TV showed a street in Lindblum, with a few people running down the street, one with a sandy blonde tail.


	2. From Luxury to Ruins

And here's the first chapter already! I'm not likely to post so quickly, really. I'm working on the third chapter right now, but considering how long the chapters are, I'll probably constantly have one chapter waiting to be posted while working on the one after it.

And I'm gonna guess that I should explain what I mean by 'OC-centric' in my summary. The story will follow one of the two OCs. That does not necissarily mean that the OC will constantly be with Zidane and the main party. Also, I'm trying to be realistic in how these people will react to everything that is going on. That includes stresses from hiding secrets. On with the story!

Disclaimer: **Everything you recognize from the Final Fantasy Franchise does not belong to me.** Other things, like the trick one of the characters pulls with magic and his weapon, I thought up. Ergo: Anything you don't recognize probably belongs to me. Key word: probably. I might have slipped in some references to other things.

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Chapter 1: From Luxury to Ruins

A familiar black-haired boy yawned as he stood with his friends in a wooden room, leaning against the wall. He wore a tan shirt that looked as if it had seen better days when seen from a distance, but seen closely, proved to be nothing more than a costume of a peasant. The dark leather leggings he wore, though, were genuinely his, and well kept. His boots, on the other hand, looked like they had traveled all over the known continent. The blue-grey eyes set in his tanned face were set on a rather ugly man fiddling with a hidden machine in the room.

The brunette noticed a light appear in the next room through a crack in the door, and glanced at one of his friends to catch his eye before nodding towards the door, still silent. The redhead turned, saw the light, and called, "Who's there!?"

A slightly muffled baritone voice came from beyond the door, making the handsome brunette smirk. He pushed off the wall and walked to the door, opening it so that Blank, the redhead that had called out, could step through.

Blank wore leather gloves lined with white fur that was already stained by the skin dye that had been used to make it look like he was patched together from something. There was a strap of black leather around his torso under the loose tan shirt that he was covering himself with. A leather codpiece was underneath it, and his right knee was covered by a piece of leather as well. His grey eyes were covered by a wide belt placed on his forehead, and his black boots had a few brown leather straps. Aside from the tan shirt, he was dressed in a costume, like the brunette.

The young man that had lit the candles in the next room over had sunbleached blonde hair that fell to just above his shoulders with a longer section that was pulled back into a ponytail. He wore oversized cuffs that were the same blue as both his pants and the vest that only went down to the bottom of his ribcage. His belt was looped around his thin hips a couple of times, and he had a pair of dagger sheathes hanging off of it. He wore white sleeveless shirt under the vest, tucked into his pants, and the collar of it was over the vest itself, the lace kept together by a bright blue ribbon. A leather harness was looped over both shoulders, but there was nothing attached to it, even though it was the type that travelers wore to keep their bags higher up on their backs. His boots were well taken care of but seemed old in the sense of what the others were wearing. And, last but not least, he had a sandy blonde tail that waved behind him.

"You're late, Zidane!" The brunette walked out of the room after Cinna, the ugly engineer. The fourth man that had been in the room, Marcus, tugged on his pink bandanna, smirking.

Marcus was wearing an outfit much the same as Zidane's, including the color, though his pants were actually shorts, his vest met his belt, and his shirt had sleeves. Instead of oversized cuffs at his wrists, he had a single belt keeping a length of leather in place, hiding the transition from sleeve to glove. He had a tooth from his lower jaw that almost always showed, and his ears were slightly pointed.

"Sorry. Where's the boss?" Zidane looked around, as if their 'boss' would jump out at them from somewhere.

"He ain't here yet," Cinna replied, waving his hammer slightly in the air. The engineer-turned-actor wasn't in costume, but what he wore showed off his sizable gut anyway. A short jacket, both in terms of sleeve length and how much of the body it covered, was topped by what looked like a leather and metal collar such as would be used on an animal, and he wore the same kind of leather wristbands as Marcus. He also used belts to keep his shoes on his feet, the oversized objects practically drowning his feet. What frightened most people, though, was his face. His face was constantly red, and his beard looked as if he had never learned how to tend to it and several people had attempted to cut it back with scissors recently. He wore an odd metal hat on his head that resembled a chef's hat.

The door across from the one the four men had walked through opened, revealing a man in a dragon mask at the top of the steps. He jumped from the doorway to land on the ground in front of them, the long mask bending comically to brush the floor before the man stood straight. The person wearing the mask was good at moving to make it seem like the head of the mask was truly his head, though.

The five men got into fighting stances at the intruder's appearance. Blank and Marcus unsheathed swords that they carried on their backs attached by belts, Zidane took out his daggers, Cinna waved his hammer threateningly, and the brunette simply lifted both his hands, not clenching them into fists as a normal person would.

"Bout time he got here, eh, Drake?" The brunette glanced at Zidane, who had stepped next to him, and smirked. Blank and Marcus were both charging at the intruder, and Cinna was sneaking around him to try to pluck something from his belt.

"No kidding." Drake, the brunette, took advantage of the distraction the others were making and disarmed the masked man, making the sword drop to the floor. He got socked for it, and rolled backwards to diffuse the energy and got to his feet as the man picked his sword back up and swung at Zidane, who was grinning and backing up as quickly as he could, a fancy new dagger in hand. Cinna was slipping away the other way, stowing a glass bottle into a pouch on the belt that often disappeared under his fat.

The masked man stumbled towards Drake, waving his sword, but tripped over his own feet and landed flat on his face. When he stood back up, the brunette wasn't anywhere to be seen...to the masked man, at least.

Drake grabbed the head of the mask from where he was hanging from a rafter of the cargo hold, and pulled, grinning. Zidane and the others started to laugh at the look on the man's face at the sudden lack of facial cover. He looked upwards towards the brunette, who tossed the mask to Marcus, who stowed it with the other props in the room.

"Drake, lad, you're more monkey than Zidane!" The boy reached up to grab the rafter and worked his way over to the way he had climbed up: a ladder.

"Hey, I'd better be able to get around without being seen, considering my weapon of choice." Drake stretched his bare hands, easing the slightly red flesh that had been pressed against the wood. He had some calluses on the first three fingers of his right hand at the first knuckle, and there were a series of small scars on his left hand between his thumb and index finger.

"Yeah…You sure about using a sword during the play? You don't have to..." Drake laughed slightly as Blank spoke, but was cut off by Baku bellowing at them. Drake got whapped across the back, which sent the lean man face-first into the ground.

"Lookin' a lot better, but let's get this meeting started!" Drake sighed and picked himself up as the rest followed Baku into the room he was in before Zidane arrived.

By the time the brunette entered the room, Zidane and Marcus had claimed the only two chairs in the room, Cinna had lied down on the chest behind them, and Blank was leaning against the doorframe, looking at their boss, who was standing behind a model of Alexandria Castle. Drake simply sighed and leaned against the other side of the doorjamb, tucking a thumb into the swath of grey fabric that he wore as a belt that he had under his costume shirt and tucking the other hand under his elbow. Baku nodded to him as soon as he saw that they were all present.

"Tantalus, the infamous band of daring thieves (that's us), is headin' to the Kingdom of Alexandria. Our mission: to kidnap the heir to the throne, Princess Garnet!" Baku held up Cinna's Garnet doll, and Drake couldn't help but smirk.

"I'll take it from here, so listen up!" The tubby man sat up from where he was lounging on the chest, and took a model of the Prima Vista from behind him and held it up in front of him. "Our ship's about to dock at Alexandria...And when it does, we're gonna finish setting up the stage, and perform 'I Want to Be Your Canary', the most popular play in Alexandria! Break a leg, Marcus! 'Cause you're playin' the lead!" Marcus stood from his chair as he was addressed, and Blank brushed a bit of his spiky red hair back into place after it fell in front of his face.

"Leave the actin' to me! Of course, the real kidnappers'll be Blank and Zidane!" Blank lifted his head from where he apparently was thinking, but when he spoke, it showed that he had been paying attention as well as Drake had been.

"I'll distract the audience from backstage with oglops." Drake smirked slightly at Blank's bored tone of voice. They really were just spitting back all of the information about the mission that had been getting crammed into their heads since they had been told about it. The smirk grew as he heard Blank's muttering about how much he hated oglops. Drake personally had no problem with them, but he knew of someone who would have a HUGE problem with them. "That'll be your cue, Zidane." The 'monkey' blinked at Blank, seeming as bored as his best friend.

"And that's when I kidnap Princess Garnet." Drake lifted his hand that wasn't attached to his belt to hide his smirk. Baku seemed to be oblivious to the amusement of the newest member of the troupe in the room.

"You bet! You're gonna kidnap the most babe-ilicious beauty in all of Alexandria, Princess Garnet!" Drake yawned as Baku shooed them all up onto the deck to finish setting up the set. Drake and Zidane were set to climbing to the uppermost portions of the set to double-check that everything that they had done in Lindblum had made the trip safely.

Ruby came out on deck to fuss at them, specifically the ones that were clambering all over the set. Drake and Zidane both rolled their eyes and grinned at each other, and Drake amused both of them by imitating the way Ruby spoke, and even Blank and Marcus heard it, moving the stairs from where they had been stored during the trip to where they would be for the play.

The laughter was really just to hide their nervousness, but it did its job well, especially when they started to laugh even harder at Ruby throwing a fit. Drake and Zidane were safely on the 'battlements' by then, however. Those who were going to be acting and weren't going to be wearing a mask were shooed into the ship itself by Ruby, who was in charge of 'makeup' which really wasn't a big fuss.

Drake had something brown smudged onto his face to look like dirt, and then was helped by Blank to put the dull short sword he would be using for the play onto his belt. The sword really wasn't all that short, and it was made of wood to make it lighter and easier for him to swing around.

Zidane had a bit more makeup put onto his face to make it look not as flat, but Ruby didn't use any dark browns, as he wasn't supposed to look dirty like 'Cinna' was. Marcus was cleaned up, but Zidane still looked better than him, which Drake still shook his head over. But Zidane was a better thief than Marcus, which was why Marcus had gotten the lead. Blank had been forced to endure Ruby's 'torture', as he called it, all through the trip, so he really didn't need to be there, though Ruby still touched him up a bit.

Once they were all done, all they could do was wait and practice their lines until it was time. Drake was rather nervous, so Marcus pulled him off to the side to help him work it out by giving him pointers on how to swing the sword. It worked, and before they knew it, it was showtime.

Baku walked out onto the stage in his costume as the king in the story, and bowed to the audience. He straightened and lifted his hands, projecting his voice so that everyone, even the people on the rooftops around the castle, could hear him. The area helped with that quite a bit, but Baku also had a very loud voice. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Tonight's performance is a story that takes place long, long ago. Our heroine, Princess Cornelia, is torn from her lover, Marcus. She attempts to flee the castle, only to be captured by her father, King Leo. When our story begins, Marcus, having heard of this, crosses swords with the king. And now, Your Royal Majesty, Queen Brahne, Your Highness, Princess Garnet...noble ladies and lords, and our rooftop viewers, Tantalus Proudly presents 'I Want to Be Your Canary'!" Baku bowed again, before walking to the left side of the stage, his 'henchmen', the Nero brothers, coming out of the door on that side to stand on either side of him.

"Bereft of father! Bereft of mother! Marcus! Thou hast lost even thy love!"

Drake was quelling the butterflies in his stomach as Blank started the sequence that would send them out onto the stage, looking down at the ground. Zidane's tail tapped him, and the brunette glanced over to see his blonde friend smile encouragingly at him. He stood, the butterflies gone, and said his own line, her voice holding only the emotions the character he was playing would have felt.

"Fortune hath escap'd thee! For what end shalt thou live?" Now Zidane stood, and swung his sword in an arc above his head to emphasize his importance amongst the three characters.

"For the sake of our friend...Let us bury our steel in the heart of the wretched King Leo!" Blank and Drake responded at the same time, with an 'aye' before the three of them charged forwards onto the stage. They had been in the middle of the door at the center back of the stage, so they had to swing around Marcus to be in a proper battle line.

Drake heard the sound effects, and saw the reflection of the 'lightning bolts' against the well-worn stage floor, and the gasps of the audience, as they hadn't been expecting such an addition to the play.

"We shall back thee, kinsman," Blank shouted over the crackling of the 'thunder'. He was the only one of the 'peasants' not in a fighting stance.

"Pray, sheathe thy swords! This villain is mine alone!" Drake swung his sword, seeming more than slightly angry.

"Nay, kinsman! For I, too, have lost a brother to this fiend!" Marcus turned slightly, lifting an eyebrow that disappeared under his bandanna at Drake's believability. 'King Leo' swinging his sword drew his attention back to the play, though.

"What ho? Out, vermin! Away! Thou darest bare thy sword before the king!? All who stand in my way will be crush'd!" Marcus swung his sword and pointed it at Leo, and Drake could almost hear the young women in the crowd swoon. Zidane's line was next, however, not Marcus's.

"Treacherous Leo, my kinsman's suffering shall not be in vain! For I shall instruct thee in his incomparable pain!" Drake almost rolled his eyes at the rhyme, like he had so many times during the rehearsals, but merely concentrated on not looking like a fool in the stage battle.

Benero 'cast' pyro on Drake, who pretended to be affected by the glitter and powder that erupted from beneath him. He darted forwards and swung at the one that had 'attacked' him, not seeming to notice that the other three took care of the other two, Blank taking out the other Nero brother and Zidane and Marcus teaming up on King Leo. The battle was a short one, and it seemed that the audience wanted more battle as Leo started to limp away.

Leo limped up the steps to the ramparts, and Zidane started to chase after him, waiting until 'Leo' called 'Thou hast not seen the last of me, Marcus!" Blank got between Zidane and the stairs as Leo disappeared into a door to wait for his next appearance.

"Out of the way, Blank!" Zidane swung his sword at his friend, who jumped backwards up the stairs to land on the small landing at the bend of the stairs. Drake once again heard people murmuring, though apparently this time it was in respect for the acrobatic skills.

"Consider this, Zidane! If Prince Schneider were to marry Princess Cornelia, peace would reign over both their kingdoms!" Blank even added in a slight swing to his sword to make sure that people were paying attention to him now. Zidane shook his head, looking up the stairs to his friend, fury on his face at the 'betrayal'.

"'Tis foolishness! If all were so easy, why, none would suffer in this world!" Blank turned and ran up the steps, Zidane chasing after. They paused at the ramparts, and started their swordfight, Zidane swinging above Blank's head before the redhead swung so that Zidane would have to jump to avoid injury.

Drake was standing with Marcus, looking up at the two as they clashed their way across the ramparts. Blank did a back flip, which impressed Drake with the ease, and then they clashed swords, Blank automatically pushing Zidane's sword to the side. They then jumped off of the ramparts, and ran between Drake and Marcus. Drake fell to the ground, and shook his head slightly as he stood, and Marcus simply stepped out of the way. As Zidane and Blank did their bit for the audience, Marcus and Drake slipped off of the stage through the center door, and were greeted by the Nero brothers with some water to ease their throats.

Drake guzzled his as they listened to the crowd cheer on Zidane and Blank, and looked at Baku as he walked up to them. A large, heavy hand was clapped on his shoulder, and Drake blinked up at his boss.

"Great acting out there." Baku's voice was a lot softer than it normally was, so the people in the audience wouldn't hear him. "Looks like I made the right decision when I chose you over Cinna. Not too good with the sword, but that's not yer favorite thing. Next play, I'll be sure to put ya in a bigger part." Drake smiled at the praise, but merely nodded, showing his humble side. He then went and went to sit on a box to wait for his next scene. His character died partway through, so his part wasn't really that big, but Zidane and Blank's characters disappeared through most of this part of the script.

Drake was changing out of his costume after his part was done when he heard a fuss outside of the room, and hastily tied the laces of his vest before opening the door, not even bothering to pull his archer's sleeve on. The glove he wore on his right hand was already buckled, though, and he blinked as he saw a girl in a strange robe run past Ruby. He recognized what this meant, and went back into the room, picking up the rest of his outfit and putting it on, struggling slightly with the leather piece that kept the fabric of the loose sleeve from catching the arrow's fletching as it zipped past. He tied the green strip of fabric that he normally kept around his right bicep to feel how much of his muscle he was using as he heard Ruby chewing someone out in that strange accent of hers, and pulled his quiver onto his back before starting for the door. He paused, and went back to his bed, reaching under the pillow to pull out two pieces of jewelry: a necklace that immediately was tucked under his shirt and a dull brass ear cuff that went onto his left ear, where it was safe to wear such an item.

Drake came out of the room, bow in hand, as Zidane raced down the steps, calling up them to Ruby that they'd talk later. He certainly sounded to be in a hurry. Drake vaulted over the railing of the stairs, waving to Ruby as he landed on the stairs without losing his balance. Drake was always charging off and taking as many shortcuts as possible.

Drake paused for a moment as he heard clanking, giving Zidane some time to talk to the girl he had been chasing. The hooded girl seemed to not notice Drake as he slipped down the stairs or that the knight that had found his way into the ship from breaking one of the stabilizers.

"Whew...Well, it looks like you've finally made up your mind." Drake slipped past Zidane and the princess as the girl turned to look at the blonde.

"Do you...do you work on this theater ship?" Zidane rubbed the back of his head as Drake opened the door to the next room, and slipped in, holding a finger up to tell Cinna to be quiet. "As you have no doubt suspected...the truth is that I am actually Princess Garnet Til Alexandros, heir to the throne of Alexandria. I have a favor to ask of you..." Cinna lifted an eyebrow, hearing Princess Garnet in the next room. Drake nodded, closing the door. He could still hear Garnet and Zidane's voices, though they were muffled.

"Are you serious?" Drake held a finger up in warning at how loud Cinna was being.

"I don't know what happened, but Zidane obviously had to improvise." Drake turned his head as he heard what Garnet said next. "Ah, that's why. She wants to come with." The bellow of the knight made both Cinna and Drake jump, and Cinna pushed past Drake to open the door.

"What're you two doin'? Come on, this way!" Drake grumbled slightly as he pushed himself up off the ground and walked out of the door after Cinna, scowling slightly. He'd heard Princess Garnet yelp when Cinna made his appearance, and she was already standing behind Zidane.

"Don't worry, Princess. They're just my friends." Garnet blinked, and calmed herself before apologizing. Drake smirked slightly and looked towards the door to his left, looking a bit concerned as he heard clanking from that direction. "Yeah, well, with a face like Cinna's, I'd be pretty shocked, too! Drake's just really sneaky." Drake sent Zidane a flat look for that statement as Cinna threw a little fit about how he washed his face everyday.

"That's not dirt that makes your skin brown, Cinna. Zidane, in here." Cinna scowled at Drake, who seemed to not notice it, and the rest followed the archer into the room, where he picked up his unstrung bow. The door closed just before the clanking and bellowing grew louder, proving that the knight had at least some tracking ability.

"Guys, this is a dead end!" Drake grinned and stepped out of the way of the table when it would move, making sure that he had his bowstring.

"Hehehe...Thought something like this might happen." Cinna walked to the table and kicked its leg. "Open!" The table flipped towards where Baku had been standing before the play started, startling both Garnet and Zidane. "Sesame!" The hatch beneath the table the table flew open, flying towards where Drake had had his bow set. "So I set up this escape hatch!" Drake dropped through it before Cinna finished speaking, the sounds of the engine drowning out the conversation above.

Drake, instead of following the path that he knew Zidane and the princess would take, found his way up to the stage, gesturing for the Nero brothers to act like he wasn't there. They knew that his presence meant that things were likely to head sharply downhill fairly soon.

Drake simply knelt just out of sight, an arrow set to the string as he waited and watched. "Tonight, I shall finally see my daughter Cornelia betroth'd to Prince Schnieder!" Leo was in the midst of a soliloquy. "And then Prince Schneider and his kingdom will be mine!" Baku's familiar laugh echoed from the stage, and Drake allowed himself to roll his eyes before scanning the crowd. None of the audience seemed to be aware of the situation unfolding within the theater ship. The Nero brothers hauled Marcus, who had just arrived from getting a bit of makeup put on his face to look a bit more beat up, onto the stage, holding his arms.

"Your Majesty!"

"We have caught an intruder!" Leo walked to take a closer look at Marcus' face.

"Why, my poor Marcus!" Leo's voice held a tone of mocking, and the 'king' turned away. "Hark, lad. No matter how much thou dost treasure Cornelia..." The mocking tone was gone now, replaced with seriousness. "No matter how deeply she might believe she doth love thee, never shall I see her marry a peasant such as thee! When yon bell strikes three, under the axe thou shall be!" Drake heard the 'bell' sound three times, and glanced over the audience again. His eyes fell on a pair of children sitting in the aisle, and he smirked slightly.

The grinding of machinery echoed through the ship from behind the stage, and Drake turned his eyes to the rising platforms with figures on them. Here it was... A few hastily whispered sentences in between the acting, and the play was on again.

Marcus broke free from the Nero brothers, calling Cornelia's name. Garnet did a wonderful job of acting, making Drake smile with approval. 'Cornelia' and Marcus embraced, earning an 'aww' from the audience.

"Oh, Marcus! I missed you so! I wish to never leave thy side. Prithee, lead me from this place!" Zidane turned to King Leo, honesty writ large on his face.

"See, King Leo? Thou shouldst give them thy blessing!" Leo didn't seem to like the thought, and walked past the embracing duo, making the Nero brothers scamper towards the back of the stage. He stopped near the dumbfounded knight that had chased Zidane and the princess up onto the stage.

"Never! Never leave his side, thou sayest? Foolish banter! I'll not allow it!" Leo was looking at Marcus and Cornelia, scowling. "Cornelia shall marry none other than this man – Prince Schneider!" He walked up and clapped the knight on the shoulder, startling him. "Is that not so, Prince Schneider?" The knight turned and looked at him, still looking stupefied.

"M-marry the princess? Me!?" Drake covered a laugh at the man's reaction, but continued to watch, both the play and the audience.

"Aye! And this traitorous crew, I will put to death!" Marcus and Cornelia stopped hugging and Marcus and Zidane went to whack the Nero brothers, who scampered off comically. Leo walked towards Cornelia, and Garnet, not really feeling secure with such a strange-looking man walking towards her, backed up a bit towards Zidane. "Pray, sweet daughter, come home to the castle with me." Baku's tone was wheedling, now. Garnet shook her head enough that the people in the audience could see it.

"Nay, Father! I shan't return!" Leo sighed, seemingly at his wit's end.

"Cornelia...trouble me no more. This wedding is for thine own welfare. Be mindful of that." This angered the character Marcus, who drew his sword as he approached King Leo.

"Not if I can help it!!! Now is my moment of vengeance! For my parents, and for my love, Cornelia...I shall cut thee down!" Leo backed up, and Cornelia darted in the way, making it look like Marcus had stabbed her. There was a pause to let the shock of it happen before Marcus retracted his sword, disbelief on his face. Drake sniggered as the knight, seemingly unable to tell the difference between acting and reality, reacted as if the girl he was responsible for had just been killed. "No...Cornelia!"

"Mar...cus, forgive me. I still love my father..." Drake's eyebrows went up again at her ability to seem like she was dying while still projecting her voice to the audience. Leo fell to his knees facing 'Cornelia', as the knight did the same, calling 'Princess'. "Prithee, forgive my selfishness, Father, and spare my sweet Marcus..." Garnet let her body fall limp, signifying her death.

"What have I done!? Am I never to hear her loving voice again!? Am I cursed never again to feel her soft touch!? O, cruel fate! Thou hast robbed me of all I treasure!" Marcus pretended to shove his sword through his side, and fell to the ground, 'dead'. The crowd reacted to the death scene. Drake stood, readying his bow for the battle he knew was coming. The Nero brothers, looping back around from their exit, looked at him warily, worried now.

A pair of knights caught Drake's eye, but he didn't draw his arrow back yet, watching with narrowed eyes as they chased the two children Drake had noticed earlier. The one with the orange beret abandoned the one with the straw hat, and the poor boy was chased right onto the stage, around the people there, and over the fallen Princess.

"Don't come any closer!" The boy pulled together a fireball from nothing, and threw it at the soldiers, only it fell short and landed on the sleeve of the robe the princess wore. She reacted immediately, as anyone who had just been set on fire would, by snatching the piece off and throwing it as far away from her as possible. Drake was sure that it had landed in the water, which simply meant that that particular fireball wouldn't be starting any big fires. This seemed to signal to the other actors that it was high time they left.

Baku stood and tuned to Zidane as the crowd reacted to Garnet's appearance, and Marcus sat up. The knight seemed to be highly confused, and Zidane glanced up to where Drake was. The archer nodded, and allowed the thief a glance of his ready bow.

"Zidane! It's time!" Zidane looked back to Baku as the man moved off, and nodded. He stepped forward a couple of paces and touched Princess Garnet on the arm.

"Princess Garnet! Let's get outta here!" The knight had gone from confused to angry, and lurched to his feet, glaring daggers at Zidane.

"What...What is going on!?" The poorly made armor that the man wore clanked as he shook his arms to emphasize his frustration. Garnet turned to frown at him, and I'm pretty sure her eyes landed on me. I was still waiting for the fight to erupt, my eyes on the stage.

"Steiner! Don't follow me anymore!" Marcus rubbed the back of his head as he stood up. He, like Drake, was probably waiting for the action to start. They were the designated 'disaster control' team that Baku had settled on in case something went wrong and they were found out. The rest of the crew was busy trying to get the ship up and on their way.

"Captain, sir! We await your orders, sir!" Drake's eyes flicked back to the soldiers. That one was Haagen, then. The eighth Pluto knight. Drake couldn't remember any details, other than that he had a tendency to yell 'fury'. Maybe he was one of the ones that had a good mental map?

Steiner hemmed and hawed for a moment, apparently surprised at the presence of his knights. Unlike in the game, though, he didn't turn his back on Zidane and company. Looked like he had more common sense than they showed in the game.

"Princess! I'm afraid I cannot comply!" Drake was pretty sure Garnet sighed, and she shook her head as if dealing with a headstrong child. The next few sentences were a bit hard to hear. Zidane trotted over to where the black mage child had fallen on his face, and knelt to check on him. Drake smiled slightly, but turned his eyes back to the knights. He was starting to draw his bow back to take aim at the knights' feet in case they decided to take advantage of the slight confusion.

More clatter came as Rusty jumped up and down, yelling, "Princess I cannot allow you to go! Seize them at once!" Drake took this as his cue, and shot the arrow he had nocked to his bow directly in front of him. "WHAT?!?! Wh-where did this arrow come from?" Drake smirked and took another arrow out of his quiver, nocking it as the knights took notice of where it must have come from. He didn't bother hiding, though he glanced over the audience before meeting the furious gaze of the Captain of the Knights of Pluto.

"It's called a warning shot. With the way you've been acting, I could have easily hit you." Drake's soft bragging floated down to the stage, and he noticed Vivi looking up at him with something akin to awe in his eyes. Drake wasn't kidding, either. Steiner was a walking target, and there were enough gaps in his armor for Drake to turn him into a pincushion.

"Keep your shields up! Charge the others, and then deal with the archer!" So much for Steiner having common sense. Before either of his lackeys could raise their shields, Drake shot an arrow nicking the tip of Steiner's nose, and, as soon as the attention was on him again, already had another arrow nocked and the bow fully drawn, aiming for Steiner again. The man paused, and Zidane and Marcus took advantage of the situation, knowing that the closest Drake could get to hitting a person with an arrow was what he had just done: grazing just enough to scare him.

Unlike the rest, though, Drake knew that he would someday have to take a battle like this seriously. He'd gotten used to killing Mist creatures with his arrows, but to turn them on another sentient being was going to take a lot of mental preparation. He wasn't quite there yet, but if he wanted to survive the Black Waltzes...He needed to steel himself to it.

The fight quickly became so close-quarters that Drake didn't dare fire any arrows for fear of hitting one of his friends. So all he could do was crouch to make a smaller target of himself for the archers that had lined up where the audience had been. He actually ducked behind the door he'd crouched behind to watch the final part of the play, and heard the arrows thunking into the wood.

"My fury ends here..." That was Haagen chickening out... The arrows stopped finally, and Drake peeked around the door. The enemy archers had retreated as soon as they saw that the knights were starting to turn tail and run.

"Captain! Let's get out of here!" Weimar, that's who the other knight was. The flirt that knew all the women in town. There was a pause, several characteristic 'whooshes' of Vivi's fireballs, and a couple of clangs of metal on metal. "I'm gonna be late for my date!" Ah, yes. The ladies' man.

The captain of the knights dropped to one knee and rested his weight on his sword, making Drake wince at the deep gouge that was putting in the stage. Zidane and the others backed off, and Marcus glanced up to where Drake was still hiding.

"You alright, Drake?" The black haired boy stepped out from behind the door, grinning sheepishly. "Geez, don't scare us like that. We forgot about you until those archers showed up and started riddling that door with arrows." The ship lurched, and Drake dropped to a knee, looking at the castle as the propellers that made the ship fly started to do their job.

Drake's eyes landed on the Queen, who was shouting orders to her soldiers. A thought came to him, and he scanned the crowd to see if he could spot silver hair. It'd be a boon if _he_ decided to show up at this place. He clicked his tongue as he didn't spot any silver hair on a younger person, though there had been a face that had made his heart skip a beat. When he looked back, though he saw someone else completely, and shook his head at his folly. Now was not the time to be looking that person.

The ship shook again as the huge harpoons dug into the deck, and Drake sighed. Queen Brahne didn't know how much effort it took to keep the stage in peak condition. That had been Drake's responsibility when he first joined Tantalus a couple of years ago. He didn't have too many skills back then, other than his mediocre archery. With help, though, he learned how to act, and Zidane and Blank had both tried to teach him how to steal, but he'd resisted that, as it went against the morals that his parents had embedded in him.

Drake ducked out of the way as a harpoon went right over his head, and hissed an expletive as he cautiously looked up. If he hadn't ducked, his head would have been split in two, no problem. He slid out from under the chain that was suddenly taut as the ship tried to move away from the castle, and dropped to the deck. The others were all kneeling on the deck, trying to avoid falling over. Drake crouched and kept looking around, so if there was another harpoon headed for him, he could dodge.

Zidane and Princess Garnet had as close a call as Drake had pretty soon. The archer moved to help Vivi up from where he had fallen onto his back, and knelt next to him, keeping him upright. The ship crashed into some buildings, and Drake winced again. That was something that he couldn't do anything about to help. Keeping the people around him alive was all that he could do. Drake lost his grip on Vivi, who went tumbling across the stage to bump into Steiner, who had been trying to reach Zidane with a murderous look on his face. Drake crouched and ran across the ruined stage to reach the black mage and keep him from rolling off the deck of the airship.

Zidane cast a look over his shoulder at Vivi and Drake, and then did a double-take, relief in his eyes at seeing Drake safe. The thief had seen the harpoon embedded in the ship where Drake had been standing before. A ratcheting sound over the screams of the people and the crashes of the ship creating chaos drew the archer's gaze to the castle again, and Zidane followed it. He paled slightly as he saw the cannon above the Queen's position, and pulled Garnet back a bit. Drake did the same with Vivi, his bow in his other hand.

As soon as they had started to move, the cannon shot its ammunition, and Drake bit his tongue to keep from spouting any words that he wouldn't want a kid of Vivi's age to hear. The Bomb noticed the ship and the people there, and zipped through the air to float behind the only one that hadn't noticed it: Captain Steiner. Marcus came from where he had been crouching in a doorway to crouch next to Drake, his sword drawn.

"Y'gotta stop freaking us out like that, Drake. Much as we've found you survive just about everything, still gives us worry when y'get that close." Drake grinned lopsidedly as Vivi stood, and the black-haired young man glanced down at him.

"You alright?" The little black mage nodded, holding his staff with both hands. Drake nodded back, and then pulled an arrow from his quiver, grinning. "There's a trick to not getting a heart attack over me, Marcus. Just quit worryin' about me." The bowstring was brought back, and Drake coolly aimed at the Bomb, over Steiner's head.

"Hey, look behind you!" Zidane certainly didn't want the idiot to die from the Bomb. A nice gesture, but not one that the knight understood just yet. Drake continued to hold the string at full draw, concentrating his energy on the tip of his arrow.

"I'll not fall for such an old trick!" Steiner charged at Zidane and slashed at him, only to have the monkey-tailed man narrowly dodge. The thief glanced over at Drake, who had stopped paying attention to the battle in the way that told him he was preparing for one of his flashy attacks. Marcus was standing at the ready to guard him, so the others didn't have to worry about that.

"Please, Steiner! Behind you!" The knight paused at his Princess's begging, but lunged towards Zidane again. This time, a thin line of blood along the thief's upper arm was his reward. The tip of Drake's arrow started to glow a soft blue as the Bomb grew, and the archer followed it as it floated upwards and then back down.

"Surrender at once!" Steiner had finally taken notice of Drake's antics, and tried a jump attack, only to be knocked away by Drake's temporary bodyguard. Vivi ducked as the blade went over his head, but stood up again as Steiner backed up, his eyes skimming over the others.

"It's a bomb!" Zidane resisted rolling his eyes at the kid pointing out the obvious, but didn't as there was someone within hearing range that wasn't aware of it. He cast another glance at Drake to see how close the man was to loosing his arrow, and wondered a moment at his strength. More than one had tried to draw back that bow of his, and couldn't, but he used it like it was nothing.

"It's gonna blow!" Marcus glanced back at Drake as he yelled the warning to the archer just as the head of the arrow became fully blue. He then ducked as Drake released the arrow, grabbing the black mage's arm to haul him behind cover as Zidane did the same to Garnet. Steiner and Drake were the only ones out on deck when the bomb blew, the knight turning to see what it was they had been running from as soon as he saw that they were retreating, and Drake having to catch his breath from the strain of concentrating his power into his arrow.

When Zidane and the others peeked out from behind their respective hiding places, Drake was lying facedown on the deck, his bow lying next to him, the string snapped. The bow itself was mostly unharmed, though Drake would probably work himself into a tizzy over the few scorch marks that marred its surface once he woke up. The knight was surprisingly alive as well, and was moving slightly as an engine exploded. Marcus moved to haul Drake into the ship proper, leaving Zidane, the princess, and the black mage on the stage. The black haired girl was hanging onto a harpoon, looking back towards the castle.

Pandemonium was breaking out inside the ship, with the whole crew getting ready to crash. Blank noticed Marcus pulling Drake in, and darted over to help put him somewhere where he was hopefully safe.

Drake groaned as he woke up, feeling something digging into his back. Did one of the guys stick something under his mattress again? ...No, that would feel softer. He wasn't on a bed. His eyes opened, and he stared at the cloud covered sky over him. It was...dark, but there were some patches of the sky that were lighter than others. The solution came to him, and he closed his eyes with a slight sigh. They were under the Mist. His attempt to kill the Bomb before it blew up had failed. So much for that idea.

The black-haired young man grunted slightly in pain as he sat up, and looked over at where Cinna had dropped the cymbalist. They were outside of the Prima Vista, which was still smoldering.

"Drake! Yer alright!" The man groaned and grabbed his head where it was aching particularly badly as one of the Nero brothers noticed he was conscious. He felt something sticky on his hand, and took it away from his head. He stared at the red stain that had come from his head, taking a moment before realizing what it was.

"Aside from a head wound, yes." Both Nero brothers (the other had just walked into sight) stared at him, and then dashed to a pile of what looked like their supplies. Drake couldn't help but chuckle at their panic, but he knew that head wounds bled a lot. He couldn't remember getting hit over the head when he fought the Bomb, so maybe it had happened when they crashed? A thought hit him suddenly, and he started to look around for his bow, now recognizing the object that had been digging into his back as his quiver.

"Here. Hi-potion." Drake looked up from his search as a bottle with a light green liquid in it entered his vision. He'd had to use a potion before, and had been lectured by Marcus as to the proper usage of it when he'd asked, so he already knew that the stronger the concoction, the more it was meant to be drunk instead of spread on a wound. Besides, Drake was sure that he had more than just the wound on his head.

"Blech. Tastes like a mint mojito gone bad." The Nero brothers laughed at his reaction, but when the archer stood up, he had no problems. Even the slight burns from the Bomb's explosion were gone. "Now, where's my bow?" Cinna came out of the still-smoking ship, carrying another musician.

"Drake! Didn't think you'd be up yet!" The archer grinned slightly impishly, and then they all turned when they heard Zidane yelling, Drake lifting a hand to wave at him.

"Glad you're all still alive! Drake, you alright? You looked half-dead when the smoke cleared." Drake grinned, amused.

"Nothing a strong potion couldn't fix. Cinna, you seen my bow? There's bound to be creatures around, and I'd like to be able to defend myself." The mechanic blinked at Drake, and then started towards the pile of instruments, digging in it. The weapon emerged, and Drake winced at its condition. "Good thing I have extra bowstrings...Gonna need to polish it to get the marks out, if I can..." Zidane chuckled at Drake's reaction as the archer took his bow and strung it, the ribbon on his right arm digging into his flesh as he used the muscle that restricted it to its fullest.

"...Just how strong are you, anyway, Drake?! Baku tried stringing it for ya after we crashed, and could barely budge it!" Drake grinned impishly at his friends after he had attached the string, as his face had contorted slightly with the effort of his actions.

"It's not fully strength as much as which muscles. Y'use different muscles for a bow and for a sword. I've been pulling a bowstring back long enough that those muscles are strong enough to pull back over 100 pounds." That got quite a few stares. The young man didn't look _near_ strong enough to move that much. He was far too willowy and even though he had visible muscles, they didn't look terribly strong.

A snarl sounded, and Drake turned around, pulling an arrow out of his quiver to nock it and draw it back. A large, dog-like brown furred creature jumped out of a bush, only to be hit by Drake's arrow mid-jump and be tossed back. This show of the strength of the archer made the rest stare at him. He didn't even show much reaction to the fact his projectile had just reversed its trajectory.

"...Holy..." Drake lifted an eyebrow at Cinna as if asking him what was wrong. Baku came out from the ship and bellowed at them all. Drake went and started to patrol around the ship to keep the Mist creatures from preying on the injured musicians that were resting outside of the crashed airship. He'd seen Zidane go off looking worried a while ago, so he was guessing that he'd gone to look for the Princess, whom he'd heard was missing.

"Drake! Gimmee a hand here!" The archer turned from where he had been patrolling, and blinked at Zidane, who had a man in armor on his back and the little black mage in his arms. "Here, take the kid. I can handle the knight." Drake hooked his bow over his back and scooped the mage out of Zidane's arms, who saved the knight from falling off of his back.

"...unhand me...I need no assistance..." Drake rolled his eyes at the knight's complaints, and headed into the ship, which had finally been put out, ahead of Zidane. The musicians had taken up position in the cargo hold, and blinked at the archer as he asked where Blank was.

"Why're you...asking...What happened to him?" Drake turned as he heard Blank's voice from the top of the stairs. He still hadn't removed most of his costume, but he had removed the belt over his eyes, showing off his bright green eyes. He even still had the hints of the makeup on his skin, though it was quickly fading.

"Ask Zidane. He brought him and the knight in. I think he's having trouble with the rust bucket, though." The Nero brothers headed off to help Zidane, and Blank went off to find the potions and such to mix up a seed remover after the little mage had mumbled what had happened to him. Drake carried him up and set him down in one of the bunks in the bunk room, smiling down at the kid. "You alright?"

"Y-yeah...Thanks, mister." Drake couldn't help but chuckle, walking a short distance away to lean against a dresser.

"Please, call me Drake. 'Mister' makes me feel thirty years older than I actually am." The black mage blinked at Drake's smile.

"How old...are you?" Drake grinned, though it held a slightly humble, embarrassed quality about it.

"I'm nineteen. I've had lots of people tell me that I look older, though." Blank entered the room and Drake turned his head to look at him.

"Here. This'll get all the seeds out." Blank helped the little mage to sit up and drink the purple liquid in the bottle. "Drake, the boss says to stay in the ship for now. Everyone else is inside, and we can keep them from coming into the ship." Drake nodded, acknowledging the order.

As the little black mage watched, Drake unhooked his bow from his back and unstrung it, digging around in a belt pouch for a rag and walked over to his bunk for a small bottle of wood polish. He wet the rag slightly and started to polish at the scorched bits, frowning slightly.

"You take really good care of your weapon..." Drake blinked, looking up mid-swipe with the rag. He smiled, a bit embarrassed. He normally tended to his bow in private, after all.

"Well, yeah...If I don't, it might snap right when I really need it. If you take good care of your weapon, it'll take good care of you." He wiped his hand over the smallest scorch mark, which proved to only be soot, as it came right off onto the rag he held. It turned out that most of the 'scorch marks' were actually just soot, but there were a few spots that didn't come off.

Once Drake had finished polishing his bow, Zidane walked into the room, followed by the knight. Apparently, the archer had been too absorbed with his bow to notice that the monkey-tailed man had come in to chat with the little mage. The bottle of wood polish was tightly stoppered and tucked into a belt pouch along with the cleaning rag, and then the archer looked up.

"Hey, Zidane." The rolled up bowstring was pulled off of the dresser, and Drake casually started to re-string his bow.

"Hey Drake. Finally done fussing over your bow, huh?" Drake smirked slightly before bending the bow, the expression disappearing with that effort. He was pretty sure the knight was eyeing him warily now, and winced slightly as the archer twanged the string after securing it.

"I fuss over my bow like you fuss over your daggers. Only I have a bit more reason to. Projectiles are more likely to have problems than blades a handspan long." The strung bow was kept in the crook of Drake's arm, though he turned and started out to the main area. He greeted Blank, who was tending to the wounds of one of the band members.

"Hm? Oh, hey, Drake. Could you go get some more bandages from Cinna? I'm running low, and I still have some of the crew to patch up." Drake nodded and went down through the cargo hold and out the hole in the side of the ship, heading to where Cinna had put their supplies. He rummaged around in the pile, making sure that he didn't bother the anti-monster charms that had been set up.

Footsteps came from the ship, and he turned his head for a moment to see Zidane and the other two coming out of the ship. He finally found the bandages, and passed the departing warriors, heading back into the ship.

"See ya, Zidane. Kick some monster ass for us, alright?" The monkey-tailed man grinned at the archer as the black-haired boy disappeared into the cargo hold of the ship.

"Hey, you can kick enough by yourself. Get your own game." Drake simply laughed.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

As I said up top, the path the story takes will not necissarily be what the game takes. I hope you aren't disappointed in this fact. Enjoy!


	3. All Alone and Lonesome

And here's a new chapter! My muse is really working overtime for this story. I finished most of the chapter after this last night. Anyway. Drake gets his own mini-adventure! ...Yeah, I couldn't think up something along the lines of Dali.

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 9. Nor do I own Blank's new look in this chapter. I borrowed that from a picture I found on deviantArt. I do, however, own Drake/Kole, Cass, and Anastasia.

* * *

Chapter 2: All Alone and Lonesome

Drake blinked as Blank pulled him over, showing him the map that Baku had handed him not that long ago.

"Here, you see this river? I was just talking to Boss, and I pointed it out to him. Said that you're the best bet to scout it out." Drake frowned slightly at leaving the troupe without a really good fighter, but nodded at the hidden order, and double-checked his quiver.

"Don't really like river travel that much, but..." Blank smirked slightly, and put a hand on Drake's shoulder. The two of them nodded, and headed out. Blank had changed into his normal outfit, a slightly loose-fitting black sleeveless shirt, grey pants with several pockets, and a few belts, most of them with bottles and such hanging off of them. His sword was strapped to the belt crossing his chest, and he was wearing chemical-resistant gloves. The belt over his forehead seemed to have become something new that he liked, though, despite that it had only been part of his costume.

"You're the only one left in the group that everyone trusts to keep himself alive." Drake closed his eyes for a moment and then nodded, flexing his gloved hand. They walked down a path into the river, and paused there, the water flowing around their knees. "You better make it out fine." Drake's smile became lop-sided.

"Same to you, bro. Keep Zidane's tail safe." The alchemist smirked, and waved, heading off to where he was sure Zidane had gone. The archer started down the river, grumbling mentally about getting his bow wet. Granted that he had convinced the synthesist to make bowstrings that didn't stretch when exposed to water and his bow so that it wouldn't ever warp, but with the scorch marks, he wasn't entirely sure of how that covering on the items would fare.

The river swept his feet out from under him soon enough, washing him downstream. He panicked for a moment, but then his head broke the water again, and he coughed before starting to tread water so he could see where he was going and what obstacles were in the way. A booming laugh made him turn around to see what was happening, and he glimpsed a dissolving raft much farther upstream, and the rest of the crew on it.

Light suddenly shone on him, and he turned around to look around. The forest had been left behind, and he was still being swept along. After several hours, he made his way to the eastern bank, and shook himself off, shivering slightly. He shook all the water off of his body and his bow, before looking up towards the clouded sky. With a slight sigh, he turned and started to search for stones. He made a pile large enough to be seen from the river, as a marker for the crew to get out of the river, as well as a way for him to let them know he was still fine.

Once that was done, he turned and started to follow the river south, killing the monsters that decided to try him. When night started to fall, he stopped, and cleared a little area on the plains, pulling out the anti-monster charms that Cinna had given him. He set them around his little camp, and built a small fire. A small creature sniffed around the anti-monster charms, and its life was shortly ended. Drake grimaced slightly at the fact he now had to clean it so that he could eat it, but did so and threw the entrails away far from his little camp. The meat was soon cooked, and his stomach growled at the scent.

Drake ate his meal as he looked up at the dark sky. He closed his eyes after a moment, and lay back, resting his head on his still-damp pack. The anti-monster charms only worked so long, but Drake was a light sleeper. He had been after learning about the pranks that Blank and Zidane pulled on everyone in the troupe.

"Cass...What happened to you?" The black-haired boy opened his eyes again, and sighed, biting off another piece of meat before banking the fire so it wouldn't burn out in the night.

~.~Flashback~.~

"Kole!" The boy turned around, hefting his backpack higher on his back. A rather pretty brunette girl wove through the crowded hallway to stand just in front of him, smiling brightly. "Sorry, the teacher wanted to talk to me. Shall we get going?" She grabbed his hand and gently tugged him along through the crowd.

Kole blushed slightly as his friend held his hand the entire time, but it had faded by the time they were in front of the school. She gave him another bright smile, and linked her fingers with his, turning around to tug him towards the sidewalk.

"We're going to your house today, right?" He nodded, a smile on his face to mirror hers.

"Yep. Video games. I'll turn you into a gamer yet!" The two of them laughed, and Drake squeezed her hand slightly. He still wasn't used to such public displays of their affection, but Cassandra was just too bouncy to push her away like that.

~.~Flashback~.~

"Kole?" The black-haired boy blinked as he looked up from his homework. Cass was looking upset, tears at the corners of her eyes. He immediately left his homework and hugged her, his lean arms going around her easily despite the fact that they were both about the same size.

"Cass? What's wrong?" The girl simply shook and curled her fingers in his shirt, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Granma and Granpa...Th-they..." Her shaking increased, and he could tell that she was trying to keep from sobbing. "They got in a car crash..." Kole's eyes softened in understanding, and he held her tight as she grieved. Her grandparents had been old, and there was little chance that they would recover from a car crash.

~.~Flashback~.~

Kole knocked on Cass's bedroom door before opening it. Since her grandparents had died, she had lost a lot of energy. At the moment, she was curled up on her side on her bed, asleep. Kole stepped into her room, stepping over the pile of dirty clothes that was by her closet, and sat down on the edge of her bed.

There were tearstains on her cheeks, and the boy frowned slightly. He gently brushed some of her bangs out of the way, watching her as she slept. He had seen her asleep before, but she hadn't ever looked this sad before.

He hesitated a moment, and then leaned down to kiss her on the cheek, blushing immediately afterwards. Cass was a heavy sleeper, fortunately, and had been known to sleep through things crashing and breaking one room over.

Cassandra shifted in her sleep, tilting her face up slightly and holding her arms close to her chest. Kole paused as he was starting to stand, looking at her face. He hadn't ever seen her so sad before. She had always been his ray of light when he was having a bad day, and now here he was trying to do the same for her.

"Mm..." Kole smiled slightly as Cass started to wake up, and ran his hand over her bangs again. Her eyes flickered open, and he smiled down at her.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." A slight smile curved her lips, and she started to sit up, Kole removing his hand so that she could.

"Morning...? What time's it?" Kole couldn't help but grin at her half-asleep state.

"Nine. We have the day off, so I decided to come over." Cass sat up more and rubbed her eyes to get rid of the sleep gunk there.

"Ugh...Didn't sleep that well..." Kole's eyes showed his concern again, and his hand rose as if he were thinking about brushing her bangs out of the way again.

~*~Flashback~*~

Drake closed his eyes again, a tear leaking from the corner of his eye. It had been months since he had last thought about his old life. He had feigned amnesia when Zidane and Blank had found him collapsed on the side of a street in Lindblum. He still wasn't entirely sure why they had taken notice of him, aside from the fact that the scent of alcohol hadn't been anywhere on him.

Creating a backstory for himself had been interesting. He had been careful to not be too specific, never mentioning a region, town, or really, even a country that he had come from. He had okay skills with a bow and arrow, but it hadn't even really been enough to hunt, so he had said that he'd been pretty useless on that. He remembered a lot of the places and such to pull off a convincing case of amnesia. He was glad that his step-dad had been a psychologist when he had first showed up.

"The places my mind goes when I'm alone," Drake sighed as he looked up at the sky again, tiny cinders from his fire floating up on the wind. He calmed his mind as he prepared himself to sleep.

The next morning, Drake woke up as the clouds blocking the sky lightened slightly, and prodded his little fire so that it was burning again. He warmed the meat he cooked the night before, and ate some of it before wrapping the rest into some waxed paper that he had kept. Dirt kicked over the fire snuffed it out, and he looked over the plains. A fire far in the distance told him where the rest of the troupe was. He could barely see it, but he had trained his sight to be able to spy something so far away. So he would know that they were there, but they wouldn't be able to see him.

"Hoo boy...Hope Zidane and the others got out alright...I don't even want to think about the possibility of them all being petrified or dead..." The last of Drake's things were stuffed into his pack, and he hooked the bag onto his belt, making sure that it would be out of the way if he had to suddenly use his bow. Once again, he started to follow the river, walking close enough to the bank that a monster tackled him into it.

Drake immediately grabbed an arrow from his quiver and stabbed it into the neck of the monster, killing it. He then replaced the arrow and caught his breath, allowing the river to sweep him along. He noted that the dead body was snatched up out of the water by a flying monster, but none of them tried to attack him, probably recognizing him as a human. That alone told him that he was getting close to the gate. He finally spotted it, and swam to the east bank before hauling himself out, huffing slightly. He wiped as much water off of himself as possible before looking at the sky. It was most of the way through the day, so he was hoping that there was an inn or someplace he could stay within South Gate.

The soldiers stationed at the gate had to take a second look before realizing that yes, a young man was walking towards them, soaked to the bone. "Halt! State your name and reason!" Drake stopped a fair distance from them, and looped his bow over his back, showing that he wasn't planning on using it anytime soon.

"Drake Kyle. I'm heading to Lindblum, to take part in the Hunt Festival. I'm also serving as a scout of sorts for the rest of the Tantalus Troupe, who crashed to the north." He bowed slightly as he introduced himself, showing his manners. The guards looked a bit startled, but, after a short conversation, allowed him through the gate, handing him a pass in the process.

The inside of the gate was built into the mountain, with elevators leading to the airship docks where the cargo ship would be heading through later the next day. The archer rode one of those elevators up to the dock, and then went to find the small inn that catered to the travelers that stopped in South Gate for the night.

Drake flopped onto the bed in the small room he'd rented for the night, and stared at the ceiling for a moment before sitting up and getting out of his damp clothes. He double-checked that the door was locked, and then crawled under the covers. He sighed slightly and closed his eyes.

'They'll be resting in Dali right now…I'm gonna have to get going first thing in the morning, so that I can get to Lindblum before they come through and break this section of South Gate. I hope that they're all safe, though...' Drake rolled onto his side, and did his best to shove aside all the thoughts of the possibility that things had been irreversibly screwed.

~.~Dream~.~

"Kole...Kole!"

Drake jumped slightly as he sat up. He blinked a few times as he saw that he wasn't in the inn he remembered falling asleep in. In fact...it looked like the basement he had fallen unconscious in two years ago! "Kole, are you alright?"

Drake turned his eyes to the girl kneeling next to him. He blinked a couple of times, not believing his eyes. It was Cass, the girl he had fallen in love with. He hadn't been aware of it until arriving in Gaia, but... The longing that he still felt for her presence, her personality, her smile...it was too strong to not be love.

"Are you alright?" Drake nodded slightly as her hand brushed against his forehead, as if checking if he had a fever. "Doesn't feel like you got your brain fried..." A slight smirk for her joke creased her lips, and she hugged him, his face going into her chest. His face immediately flushed, and he felt his blood start spreading to...other parts of his body.

"I was so scared...I woke up first, and it felt like I'd had a thunderstorm shoved through my veins. You weren't moving...I...I thought you were..." Drake put his arms around Cass as he felt her tears starting to leak through his shirt to dampen his skin.

Was this real...?

Had his adventure with the Tantalus Troupe been just a dream?

Why were Cass's arms starting to get tighter around his neck?

~*~Dream~*~

Drake fell out of the bed with a thud, and blinked at the ceiling. He sat up and untangled the sheet from around his neck, noticing with a slight groan that he hadn't been imagining a particular bodily reaction from the situation in his dream. He looked out of the tiny window that led to the airship docks, and noticed that there was some sunlight coming in through the gate.

"Morning...And that felt like such a short dream..." He rubbed the back of his head, and then stood, made the bed, and then got dressed, stretching to work out the kinks in his muscles.

The innkeeper blinked as the young archer walked down the thin set of stairs. He was already known by the people that worked at South Gate, and many of the young women that had seen him were smitten. Not only did he have a young, attractive face, but his clothes showed off his well-toned body. That his clothes were only a little ragged just added to his attractiveness in their eyes.

"Good morning!" Drake smiled and nodded to the innkeeper, before heading out the door, leaving his payment for the night on the counter. He looked around the already-bustling area, and headed to the small market, intending to buy some food that would settle in his stomach nicely.

A warm apple fritter later, and he was off to look for an airship that would take him to Lindblum. He eventually found one, whose captain was a middle-aged woman. She had shown some interest in him, but had gotten the point when he refused her advances.

Drake smiled slightly as the airship floated through the gate into Lindblum. He had been rather surprised by the fact that the castle town had become home to him about a year ago, when he had left the troupe to do a bit of searching. He missed his family, yes, but the Tantalus troupe had become family, too.

The great clock that was the entrance to Regent Cid's personal airship dock drew his attention, and he leaned against the railing, closing his eyes as he felt the wind tugging on the green sash he wore around his hips. His hair was whipping around, too, reminding him that he needed to get his hair trimmed.

The ship docked, and Drake thanked the captain, who merely told him that seeing an archer win the Hunt Festival would be reward enough. She showed him her hands, revealing that she, too, had been an archer.

"Here, take this, too." Drake paused on the gangplank, and looked back at the woman as she dug into her belt pouch. She came up with a feather made of metal, and handed it to him. "Show this to any archer, and they'll help you. They'll be honor-bound to." Drake accepted the item, and was amazed at how heavy it felt. He tucked it into his vest, figuring that it was a safer place for it than his belt pouches.

"What is it, though?" The woman smiled, suddenly seeming to be far wiser than she had moments before.

"My favor." Drake's eyes widened for a moment as the woman seemed part-way translucent, and took a step backwards, off the gangplank. "You'll find a use for it with time. Fare ye well." The airship took off as soon as Drake had stepped off, and the young man watched as it flew away.

The metal feather was pulled out of his vest, and looked at it again. The detail on the part that would be soft on a real feather was incredible, and the shaft of it looked just like a real one as well. He squinted and looked closely at it, seeing that there seemed to be some text there. Most people would need a magnifying glass, but with how Drake had trained his eyes, he could barely make it out.

"Kaus...Australis...? Odd..." He tucked the metal feather back into his vest, and headed into town, smiling as some of the people recognized him. He ducked into the Doom Pub, and sat down at the bar, smiling at the barkeep.

"Drake! Lad, how're ya?" The archer smiled at the fatherly man, and leaned forwards a bit.

"More than a bit tired. The Prima Vista crashed in the Evil Forest over by Alexandria. I was sent to hike from there to South Gate, where I hitched a ride on an airship." The man's eyebrows rose as soon as the words 'Evil Forest' exited Drake's mouth.

"How'd you get outta there alive!?" Drake smiled over the rim of the mug of root beer that had been set down in front of him. There were several people staring at him wondering the same thing, including a Burmecian woman.

"Well, it isn't that hard if you fall into the river." Most of the people paying attention to him chuckled as he rubbed the tip of his nose, appearing to be rather embarrassed. "I'm just glad I spent the money at the synthesist's to waterproof my bow and some bowstrings." The Burmecian looked at the weapon hooked over the archer's back.

"It looks like you encountered something with flames." Drake winced slightly and started on the stew that he had ordered partway through his story. He hadn't included the strange woman airship captain and her gift.

"That was actually the reason the airship crashed. Bomb. I tried one of my techniques to channel my energy into my arrow, but...I guess I need a bit more practice." He cast a glance over his shoulder as someone walked into the pub, and then took another bite of his stew.

After finishing his stew and paying for the meal, Drake headed off to the Theatre District, trying to remember about what time of day Zidane was supposed to be there. It was barely noon, and he could only guess at what time they were supposed to have gone through South Gate. Anyway, he wanted to stop by the hideout to leave a note for the troupe to find when they got there. He'd probably spend the night in the inn in the business district, the one right across from the aircabs.

Lindblum was a lot larger in real life than it was in the game. The few screens where the player could wander were barely a fraction of it. The street that Drake had been found on was one of the ones that hadn't been shown. Several of Drake's favorite places to eat were actually never even glimpsed in the game. It included a place that made one of Cass's favorite dishes: Rice and beans. He'd go and eat it when he was feeling a bit lonely, so it had become sort of a comfort food for him.

Drake walked into the hideout finally, and looked around. It still looked as messy as it normally was. They hadn't bothered to pick up before leaving for the play, so he still knew where everything was. It was a bit surreal to be there without any of the others, though.

He walked to where they left notes for each other, and dug in the cluttered 'desk' for a quill and a pot of ink. He found them, and then tacked a piece of paper to the wall before carefully writing on it. He'd managed to get the hang of not putting too much ink onto the paper rather quickly, so unlike the others, he could just write on the paper attached to the wall without the ink dripping.

He blew on the note gently once he had finished writing his note, and then stoppered the ink pot before putting it back. Once that was done, he turned and walked out of the hideout and headed to his second most favorite place to eat, which was right there in the Theatre district. It was a bit of a walk, since it was all the way on the other side of the district, so it was starting to get dark by the time he was there.

The place looked very true to the feeling of Lindblum. Rose colored bricks made up the walls, and metallic chairs were scattered around the restaurant/bar, set around tables with clear glass tops. The first time he'd seen the tables, he had asked what they were made out of, not believing that it was possible for them to have tempered glass here. However, that was indeed what they were made of. Posters from old plays were tacked up on the walls, adding to the old charm of the joint, and the scent of pizza wafted from the kitchen.

The fact that they not only had a great feel to the restaurant but also had one of his favorite foods immediately sent the place to the top of his 'favorite' list. The waitresses knew him by name and face, and he had had a few try to get with him, much to Zidane's irritation. He also knew most of the regulars, and all of the women who danced on the stage for their entertainment. They didn't do anything bawdy or too erotic, just something along the lines of the gypsies of Earth.

There was a woman sitting up by the stage that looked vaguely familiar, even though she sat with her back to him. Her brunette hair fell to the middle of her back, held back with a bead topping a small braid made of hair from directly behind each ear. From what he could see past her hair and the intricate back of her metal chair, she was wearing a short top and a low skirt.

One of the waitresses noticed that he was looking at the woman when she brought his pizza to him. She smiled and giggled slightly, drawing his attention to her. He blushed slightly and looked to his food, which only made her laugh a bit more.

"You're not the first to take note of that young lady." Drake blinked up at the waitress, one of the floppy pieces of food partway to his mouth. "She's got a particular charm about her that I've never seen before. She doesn't even have to try to get attention from folk." Drake munched on his pizza, looking at the woman again. She seemed to be reading something, as he saw her shoulder move, and distantly heard a page in a book turning. "Much like yourself..." Drake's eyes frowned slightly, though it was gone in a flash.

"Hm...Will she be in the Hunt Festival?" The waitress blinked, and looked in the woman's direction.

"I don't doubt it. I served her as well, and she has the calluses of a sword on either hand. Her body is well toned, and I heard Jeremy muttering about the magic power he feels from her." Drake considered his pizza, still thinking.

Jeremy was a red mage, and had been the one to start teaching Drake how to pull his magic potential out of him. He'd told Drake that he likely wasn't ever going to be able to cast spells like a red mage, though, so he'd gotten the idea to mix it with his archery. The waitress left to tend to some other customers, and the dancers finally took the stage.

A chair moving out from the table he was sitting at made him look up, and he blinked. The young woman he had noticed earlier was sitting down there, and his eyes found the most 'interesting' portion of the woman's shirt, immediately looking away as soon as he realized what he was doing.

She was wearing a very short one-piece corset, without a shirt underneath. A silver pendant was resting on top of her sizable cleavage, and there was a rather sheer fabric sewn to the straps of the blue leather corset, looping over her upper arms in something similar to sleeves. Her body was then bare down to her hips, where there was a metal belt keeping an overskirt in place. The bottom of her miniskirt underneath it was visible, and so was the top of her black stockings. Her boots were pointed in the front, reaching up as high as her stockings.

"Hullo." Drake's eyes flicked to her face as soon as she spoke, and his heart almost skipped a beat. It was as if he were back in his dream, and Cass had simply changed into these clothes. Only...this woman was in far better shape than Cass had ever been. Her golden hazel eyes seemed reminiscent of a fox for a moment, before he noticed the kindly smile on her plump lips. "I couldn't help but notice you when I started getting people coming to my table. You have lots of admirers, but none of them seem to approach you." Drake blinked, a bit startled by her talkativeness. He also noticed with part of his brain that she had crossed her legs at her knees and was leaning forwards slightly, giving him a better view of her cleavage. She didn't seem to notice this, though, keeping her eyes on his face.

"Ah, well...I'm a regular, so most of the time, my friends are here with me. They have a tendency to chase skirts." The girl flashed a smile, seeming to be amused at that.

"Really? You don't seem like the sort to hang out with people like that." Drake lifted an eyebrow, smiling slightly at her.

"And you're so good at reading people you can do so in a moment?" She flushed slightly, seeming to be a bit embarrassed.

"Well, I did say _seem_." Drake just laughed. "Anyway, what's your name? Mine's Anastasia Cassul." Drake's heart sank a little bit. She wasn't Cass. Well, it wasn't like it was really possible, anyway. If she were Cass, she wouldn't look the exact age that he had last seen her.

"Drake Kyle. You in town for the Hunt Festival?" The woman nodded, lifting a hand to brush some of her bangs out of her face in a seemingly absent-minded manner, still smiling.

"Yes. I want to see how well I've trained for the past ten years. My teacher says that it'll be easy for me, but..." She tilted her head to the side, her eyes slipping down and to the left. He glanced at her hands, and his eyes fixed on the solid silver bangles encircling her wrists. He could see something carved into it, and she followed his gaze with her eyes. "Oh, these? They're a gift from the man that raised me." A fond smile curved her lips. "They're enchanted with various protection spells. All I have to do to activate them is to feed some of my mana into them." Drake took a closer look at one when she offered, squinting a bit and tilting his head to the side.

"This one is...Shell, is it not?" Anastasia seemed a little surprised that he had been able to tell. "I'm an archer, and I've been working on putting what little mana I have into some attacks. I'm not terribly good at it yet, but my eyes are well trained enough that I can see things that others can't." She seemed interested now, and leaned forwards a bit.

Drake waved goodbye to Anastasia as they split up at the aircab. He was heading off to the Business District, and she was headed to a district that hadn't been in the game: Artisan's District. Her aircab arrived first, and she climbed onto the contraption without a single look back. He leaned against the wall, yawning slightly as he waited for his aircab to arrive.

Drake opened an eye as he heard someone approaching, and his hand touching the thin knife that he kept under his glove. It was just some people coming back from some other bars in the Theatre District, though, and his fingers left the weapon. The aircab arrived, then, and he pushed off the wall, pausing a bit when his bow got stuck on a brick. He'd gotten so used to its pressure on his back that he didn't notice when it until it got stuck and he needed to move.

He walked onto the aircab and removed his bow before sitting down, leaning back a bit and closing his eyes. If not for the fact that he'd been talking to Anastasia for a long while, he would have headed for the inn a while ago. He was exhausted from yesterday, still. His muscles were complaining about all the exercise he'd been doing recently, yet.

"Arriving at Business District! Business District!" Drake lifted his head and stood as soon as the aircab stopped moving. He trundled out of the aircab and down the steps to the street. There weren't too many people there, but there were some. He yawned and crossed the street to the inn there, and talked to the innkeeper there. He got a room upstairs, and thanked the man before climbing the stairs, yawning. He got undressed and fell into the bed, making sure that the door was locked.

Drake slept dreamlessly that night, oddly enough. He woke up with light only just starting to seep into the room with the dawn. He stood and stretched carefully, feeling his muscles complain a bit. He took his time with it this time, not really needing to go anywhere really quickly. His muscles eventually loosened up, and he got dressed then, feeling his stomach start to complain.

His bow was slipped over his shoulder as he walked down the steps, humming slightly. He smiled at the man at the desk, and paid for his night, waving as he walked out the door.

"Haaahhh...What do I want to do today...?" Drake stretched his shoulders a bit as he walked along the road to the morning market, passing by the pickle woman with a wave. He didn't really like the pickles, but at least he was nice to her. "Hm...Couldn't hurt to have my bow tended to..." He walked past a man in not-so-well kept armor, humming slightly.

"YOU!" Drake stopped when he heard a semi-familiar voice bellow, and turned to look, blinking a bit. It took him a moment to recognize Adelbert Steiner, the knight from the ship. Well, it wouldn't hurt to make him think Drake didn't recognize him.

"...Uh...Do I know you?" Drake crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head to the side slightly, looking a bit confused. The knight started to shake, enraged.

"You-you-gaah!!" Drake lifted an eyebrow. He had known that the man had a bit of a stuttering problem while angered, but he hadn't thought it would be that easy to get him riled up. The lithe archer had to suddenly dodge backwards a few paces as the knight swung at him, nearly bumping into a few people, who he promptly apologized to.

"Geez! You're a knight aren't you? Aren't you supposed to, I don't know, be a good role model?" The knight scowled at him, but seemed to calm himself. Drake dropped his guard again, and shook his head a bit. "Man, talk about control problems..." He turned and continued to walk towards synthesist's place, but Steiner calling 'wait' made him stop. "What now?" Steiner scowled slightly.

"You remained with the rest of those curs, correct? Might the rest of them be in town?" Drake shook his head, his eyes momentarily showing his concern.

"No. I was sent ahead by the Boss to scout the way back for the rest of them." He bowed slightly to the knight, and then turned to continue on. He didn't see what the knight's reaction was.

Drake lifted a hand to brush back the curtain that served as the door to the synthesist's shop, wincing slightly as the heat of the fire beat on him like a door. He supposed that was why in the game, there hadn't been any curtain. The object blocked in the heat of the forge.

"Hey, Wayne. Your dad around?" The young man behind the counter blinked at Drake before recognizing him. He then got a rather big smile on his face, and leaned forwards.

"Yeah. You want him to work on your bow again?" Drake took the weapon off of his back and set it on the counter so his friend could see the scorch marks dotting the surface. "Oof. Where'd you run into something fiery?" Drake smiled a bit wearily, already getting tired of explaining everything.

"Bomb. It made the Prima Vista crash." Wayne's eyes widened a bit. An old man walked into the front room from the back, where the forge was, wiping a bit of sweat from his forehead. "Hello, Torres." The old man smiled at the young archer.

That was something that had been a bit of a surprise for Drake. In the game, Torres had been the average old man sprite, but the old synthesist was actually quite buff and hardly weak. He was also quite bald, and didn't have all the facial hair from the in-game sprite.

"Ah, Drake! Come to have me take a look at your bow again?" Wayne tossed his father the strung bow, and the old man ran his hands along it, examining it. "Hm...Considering that this coating was designed to protect from water and not fire...it's fared quite well. I'll get these scorch marks off for ya, shall I?" Drake rubbed the back of his head a bit.

"Well...They've kinda grown on me. I just wanna make sure that it won't break soon. Wouldn't hurt to have a few more coatings added to it, to protect against magic. I'm a bit worried about some things I've heard were going on in Alexandria." Torres hummed slightly, looking closer at the scorch marks.

"The marks do not seem to have compromised the structural integrity...Very well. What sort of magics do you want to protect from?" Drake leaned on the counter a bit, tapping his fingers on the scarred wood.

"Hmm...Fire for sure...ice magic would probably be able to warp it more than water, so I suppose I should ask for that as well." Torres nodded, and set the bow down on the counter again before going and leafing through one of the many books on the side of the room that helped him with more magical modifications.

"Drake?" The archer stood from where he was still leaning on the counter, and turned, blinking a bit. The slight confusion turned into a relieved smile quickly enough.

"Zidane! So you guys got out alright!" The monkey-tailed man shook his head, smiling a bit.

"I was about to say the same to you. Baku send you ahead to scout?" Drake nodded. "I saw your note in the hideout, so I figured you were still in town. And, since I remembered your bow got damaged, you'd have dropped by here sometime." The archer chuckled, as Torres turned to him.

"Drake, could you run and get these potions for me? I'll need them to add those layers to your bow." Both men turned to the synthesist, and Drake accepted the slip of paper that the old man handed to him. "Now, Zidane, what can I do for ya?" Drake waved to Zidane as he left to find and buy the potions that Torres needed, seeing in Zidane's eyes that he was planning on getting his daggers fixed up.

Drake hummed slightly as he walked into the nearest item shop, and walked into the potion area, and plucked a few small bottles from the shelves. He noticed a slightly battered straw hat bobbing around nearby, and leaned around the shelves, still holding the plethora of glass bottles he needed to buy.

"Vivi, right?" The little black mage jumped a bit as he heard his name called, and turned around to see the kind archer. The bottles in Drake's hands suffered a short juggle as the archer readjusted his balance to allow for the fact that the young mage had charged into his legs to hug him. "Woah! Hey, careful." Drake couldn't help but laugh as he knelt to Vivi's level.

"Drake! You're alright!" The archer nodded, his eyes glinting merrily. "We were all worried, especially after that nice Blank guy..." Drake looked concerned now.

"What happened to him?" He hoped that it had only been petrification, but it was possible that he had died. That would throw a big wrench into the plot, though.

"He...He got turned to stone." Relief washed through Drake, though he didn't show it. He instead showed worry.

"How?" He hadn't seen the forest turning to stone, though he knew that it must have been while Baku and the others were floating down the river.

"The forest turned itself to stone after we killed the big plant." Vivi sniffled, and Drake set his hand on the kid's head.

"If he's turned to stone, it should be possible to change him back." The little black mage blinked his glowing black eyes up at the archer. "There are such things as soft potions, but if the whole forest was petrified..." His eyes slid to the floor, thinking. He knew what item was needed, and where it was, but...Ugh, he was getting tired of having to act all the time. "Maybe Anastasia would have an idea..." He blinked as he realized what had just come out of his mouth.

"Who's Anastasia?" Drake smiled a bit at Vivi, standing up and heading towards the counter.

"Someone I met yesterday. She's a red mage, and knows a lot. Hey, Alice." The woman behind the counter smiled at Drake, seeming a little flirtatious as he approached.

"Hello, Drake! How are you?" Drake smiled politely, unloading the bottles in his arms onto the counter.

"I'm alright. I'd like to buy these. I asked Torres to add a few protections to my bow, so I don't have to worry about it breaking." Alice nodded, seeming to go back to business, instead of trying to flirt.

"Are you gonna take part in the Hunt Festival?" Drake nodded, pulling his Gil satchel out and starting to count out the coins. "1800 Gil, please." The appropriate coins were plucked from the leather pouch and placed in the redhead's waiting hand. "You need a bag for it?" Drake flashed a slight smile at her.

"Nah. I got pouches and strong arms." He gathered up the bottles, putting about half of them into various belt pouches and tucking the rest into the crook of an arm. "See ya later, Alice." He waved and walked out of the shop, patting Vivi on the hat as he passed the little black mage.

Zidane was still standing in the Synthesist's shop when Drake returned, and Wayne was busy with a pair of daggers, working on fixing the ends of the hilts together. Torres turned from the book he was still poring over, and smiled at the young archer.

"Ah, ya brought the potions I need?" Drake nodded, and carefully put the bottles onto the counter. The old synthesist carefully looked at the bottles, and then nodded. "I'll be done with it before ya take part in the Hunt." Drake smiled in response to him, and waved before heading out of the shop. Zidane looked flatly at Drake, apparently having to stay there to make sure that his daggers weren't irreparably damaged.

The archer wandered through the market again, munching on an apple he had bought to tide him over for a while. He still had his quiver on his back, but since he didn't have his bow with him as well, he'd been getting several odd looks from the people also wandering the market.

"Drake?" The archer made a small noise as he turned to see who was addressing him. The woman who had said his name straightened from where she had bent forwards a bit, smiling widely. "Ah, it IS you!" Drake hurriedly swallowed the apple bits he had in his mouth, so he wouldn't accidentally show her that.

"Anastasia! I was wondering if I would see you before the Hunt." Drake smiled slightly. His eyes flicked to the swords resting at either of her hips, recognizing them as being simple Mithryl swords. They were quite strong, compared to the swords offered in Lindblum. If he remembered right, the first time you could get it was by stealing it from Beatrix...He was NOT looking forward to that fight.

Anastasia giggled, and Drake blinked at her, not really understanding why. "Y-you've got some apple skin stuck in your teeth." Drake flushed slightly as he immediately tried to get the apple skin out, looking away from the giggling brunette. He finally got the flecks of red out of the crevices, and glanced back at the rather pretty red mage, seeing that she was still smiling. "So...where's your bow?" Drake blinked for a moment, and then remembered that he'd had his bow with him at the restaurant.

"Oh, I brought it to the synthesist for him to fix and add a few protective layers to...I've just got this feeling that things are gonna get hectic soon." He rubbed at the back of his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "I'm pretty sure it's gonna come up as nothing, but it doesn't hurt to be ready in case that hunch of mine really is right." He grinned at Anastasia, and wondered briefly if that really was a blush crossing her cheeks.

It wasn't the first time that he'd gotten a woman to blush just by smiling. He hadn't thought that Anastasia was the sort to be swayed by something that superficial, though.

"Anyway...You mentioned that you were missing some friends. Are they in town, or are you still wandering about alone?" Drake blinked back to reality.

"Hm? Oh, one of them is. I think he might still be at the synthesist's. I dunno where the rest are right now." A hint of pain flickered across his eyes as he remembered where one of them was. He noticed Anastasia frown slightly, and figured that she had noticed.

"Something's wrong, though. Did you find something out about one of your friends that you're worried about?" Drake smiled slightly. She was a bit like a mind-reader right now, it seemed.

"Oh, it's just..." He looked away from her for a moment, looking to the north. Where Blank was. "...One of my friends...somehow managed to get himself turned to stone." Anastasia's eyes widened. He rubbed his head, sighing slightly. "I don't even know how..."

"Does the other friend of yours, the one that's around, know?" Drake blinked, thinking. He supposed that Zidane would know. But he hadn't been expecting to see Anastasia so worried about someone she didn't know. Or maybe it was simply because Drake was worried. Bah, he was reading entirely too far into this.

"I think...he might." Anastasia nodded a bit. "Why do you want to help?" She tilted her head to the side, smiling slightly. Despite the wiliness that Drake had initially seen in her, she seemed to be nothing but sweet and kind. Part of him told him to trust her, while another told him that she was more dangerous than anything else he had encountered.

"Well...whoever it is is important to you. You're really quite nice, so..." Drake tugged on an earlobe, thinking. It was an old habit of his.

"Alright. Let's check the synthesist's. If he's not there, we'll probably see him during the Hunt Festival." Anastasia nodded, and they started through the market. Drake noticed that Anastasia barely even blinked when the heat of the forge hit them, and then looked around to see if Zidane was still there.

"Hey, Drake! Dad's still working on your bow." Drake nodded to Wayne with a smile.

"Zidane leave?" The apprentice synthesist nodded, and Drake sighed slightly. "Great. Alright...You know about when your dad will be done with my bow?" Torres poked his head from the next room over, and waved a gloved hand.

"Come back in an hour or so, and the second layer should be dry." Drake smiled and nodded, before leaving the synthesist's again. He flicked a bit of sweat from his forehead, and Anastasia laughed a bit.

"You're not used to such heat, then?" Drake blinked at Anastasia. She looked like she had absolutely no problem with the heat that had been coming from the forge.

"Not at all. I much prefer the cold to heat." Anastasia laughed a bit, and flicked a bit of her hair off of her shoulder. Drake's eyes were attracted to the spot where her hair had rested, before flicking back to her face. "It's a lot easier for me to stay warm than it is for me to cool off." He looked away from her, hoping that she didn't take it the other way that it could have been taken.

"But that's not the case about your temper, is it? You've got a calm face." Drake blinked at her, wondering at her observations. It was the sort of thing that he'd come to expect from people who lived like Zidane and the rest of the troupe, but to meet someone else, who didn't have the background that demanded paranoia, who could do the same, confused him.

"You're right. I do tend to be pretty calm. It's been...years since I last lost my temper." He rubbed the back of his head, seeming a bit embarrassed about it. They continued to walk along the road, each getting slightly admiring looks from those they passed by. The elderly, however, merely smiled knowingly at the pair, as if they knew some secret the rest didn't.

"Hmm....my temper isn't as calm, sad to say." Anastasia laughed slightly embarrassed, lifting a hand to brush her bangs from her eyes. "I've a tendency to lose it when men I've no interest in don't get the hint." Drake's mouth flashed into a grin. Again, he wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him or if Anastasia was really blushing.

A growling noise came from Anastasia's stomach, and a full-out blush covered her face. Drake couldn't help but laugh, his baritone voice surprisingly being the booming sort. Several people glanced at them as the pair paused in the middle of the street.

"I'm guessing you would like some food then," teased Drake, his broad grin flashing white in his rather tan face. The red mage merely fingered the tip of her nose, fighting to control her blush.

"Yes, though I couldn't possibly impo-" She was cut off as Drake gently gripped her forearm and started to pull her along.

"You aren't imposing," Drake told her with a soft smile as he let go of her arm, the brunette walking alongside him now. "I'm not the sort to like wandering around alone. Archers work in support roles for a reason." Anastasia blinked and tilted her head to the side for a moment, apparently thinking his words over.

Drake led the woman to the air cab station, and they headed to the theatrical district. Anastasia seemed to understand without being told that the area he led her to after they had departed the station on the other side of their trip was fraught with thieves and such, and kept a hand close to her money pouch.

"You don't need to worry about that, you know." The brunette gave the tanned man an odd look, and he merely smiled at her. "If any of them stole your money, they'd have to answer to me and my 'family.'" This seemed to reassure the young woman, and she lost the tension, now merely enjoying their surroundings.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Torres actually is the name of the synthesist in Lindblum. I went and watched a video of someone playing FF9 to see if there was a name, and there it was! At the same time, the son's name was mentioned. Yay for laziness!

Anastasia...I like her. Though I'm kinda iffy on if I'm hiding her secrets well enough. Ah, well. If I'm not, I'm not. Please Review!


	4. And so the Hunt begins

It's the Festival of the Hunt! And I got a review! ~cheers and throws confetti~ Thanks, Anasazi Darkmoon! Now, on to the story!

I added a lot of original stuff here. ^_^; There just wasn't enough for me to do the Hunt with. I wrote pretty much this whole chapter in one day.

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy Nine. I do own Drake/Kole, Cass, and Anastasia.

* * *

Chapter 3: And so the Hunt begins

Drake held open the door to one of his more favorite restaurants, and grinned at the nostalgic look on her face as she sniffed the air. Just like Cass used to...his smile faded for a moment as a stab of pain came from his emotions. He looked away from Anastasia in time to miss her notice the look of pain.

"What is this wonderful smell? It's so..." The smile came back onto Drake's face as if it had never been missing. He chuckled and motioned to one of the servers before finding a seat in one of the small booths along the edges of the tavern.

"Their specialty is rice and beans. I come here when I'm feeling a bit nostalgic." He blinked as he suddenly noticed the piercing, slightly concerned look she was giving him. "What?"

"There's something or someone particular that it makes you think of. You looked pained for a moment when we came in." Drake quickly averted his eyes, which merely spoke more of how easily she had read him than anything else.

"Ha...It's just...My girl...she loved rice and beans. And you...you look just like her." Understanding flashed into Anastasia's eyes. Something that had confused him a little when he had arrived in Gaia was that when a person claimed another as 'theirs' it was generally accepted that those two were romantically involved. "That's not to say that she dressed like you. She was, more often than not, dressed so the only skin that showed was her neck, arms, and maybe ankles, no matter how warm out it was." Anastasia blinked at this, and glanced down at herself, a slightly wry look on her face.

"Well, it was probably easier to avoid attention being that covered than it is wearing what I do. What...what happened to her? Something happened, if you feel pained when you're reminded of her." This concern made another stab of pain go straight through him.

"Haa...well, I'm not sure, really. To be honest, I have gaps in my memories. The guys I call family found me lying on the side of a street not too far from here. Couldn't even remember who I was at the time. I've remembered a lot, but...not my birth name." Drake rubbed the back of his head. Why did it feel so awkward to lie to this woman about this? He knew exactly who he was, and the only gap in his memory was when he had gone to catch Cass, when she fell from her chair.

"So Drake isn't really your name, then...I know what it's like to deal with that, though...When I was younger, I tried to use a spell that was far out of my reach. Everything before I woke up afterwards is...missing. I've had to rely solely on what my teacher and the man who cares for me to rebuild who I am." Anastasia touched the pendant for a moment, a thoughtful look on her face. Drake tilted his head to the side as he watched her. Could she be...?

"How long ago was this?" If it was recent enough, it was possible... Anastasia looked up at him with a small smile.

"Well over a decade ago. I must have been...six or seven at the time, I'm not sure." Drake felt his hopes disappear. Far too long for her to be Cass. "It was when I woke up that I first remember meeting my benefactor. He visited me only rarely back then. As I've grown, he's spent more and more time with me." A gentle smile curved her lips as Anastasia spoke, and Drake had to practically tear his eyes from her face to nod at the waitress standing a few feet away. The woman knew the gesture meant that he wanted his normal. She wrote that down on the pad of paper in her hand, and wrote the number 'two' next to it.

"Sounds like you're really fond of him." Drake crossed his legs on his seat, finding comfort in the familiar position. He used to sit like that all the time, after all. He rested his elbows on the table as he listened to Anastasia talk, his eyes brighter than they had been in a long, long time. Not even the boys of Tantalus could make him feel this lighthearted.

Anastasia really did like the food that was served at the restaurant, and said as much as they were leaving the building. Many of the men that were nearby glared jealously at Drake as he followed the woman who might as well have been dancing. Anastasia actually spun on the ball of her left foot, clasping her hands together behind her waist with a big smile.

"Well, should we get going? The synthesist has likely finished with your bow by now." Drake blinked. How had he nearly forgotten about that?! Well, when in the company of a very pretty woman with a wonderful personality, he supposed it was possible. He wasn't used to having his head turned like this, though.

"Ah, you're right. Shall we?" With a slightly teasing grin, Drake offered her his arm. Anastasia blinked at him for a moment, then giggled and accepted his arm. They headed towards the aircab station together, leaving behind some rather depressed and jealous men. Drake wasn't the only one that found her attractive, after all.

The fire in the forge was lower when the two of them returned to the synthesist's shop, much to Drake's relief. Torres smiled at the young archer, not failing to notice the beautiful red mage was still by his side. The wood of the longbow had gained a slightly different tint, seeming to be closer to a sheer white then the yellow tint it had had before. Though if he took a closer look at it, he could still see the yellow tint of the wood itself.

"Wow...Pops, I dunno what to say. I don't know anyone who could do a better job of this." Torres waved a hand in dismissal.

"It's a passable job. A true master of synthesis could have done it with less than half of the materials you brought me. Here. I covered some bowstrings with the same material. These ever fail you, just come to me, and I'll make some more for ya." Drake smiled his thanks at the old man, and dug out the amount of money that had been part of the bargain. The old man rolled his eyes at this, but accepted the payment anyway.

"True master or not, it's still a better weapon than it was when I handed it to you. For that alone, I owe you thanks. I've got this feeling recently that something big's gonna happen. I don't want to be caught unprepared." Torres gave Drake an odd look. The archer waved as he turned and grinned at Anastasia as they left the building.

"You signed up earlier, right?" Drake nodded. That had been something he'd done shortly after arriving in Lindblum. "Well, then I guess we should wait for the festival to begin." Drake smiled, stringing his bow before looping the whole thing over his shoulder.

"We should probably wait at the castle, then. That's where all the contestants gather to report in, after all. I don't know about you, but with the company I've been keeping the past couple of days, I may lose track of time." Drake flashed his impossibly charming smile at Anastasia again, and led the way to the airbus again.

"Haha! Yes, that sounds like a great idea. Let's go, shall we?" The duo smiled at each other as they headed off, not noticing the knowing look Torres wore.

The noticed the beginnings of the preparations as they passed them, and hurried, like most of the citizens. Only, they were heading towards the castle, and most of the citizens were heading home.

The castle itself was rather calm, and, once Drake and Anastasia had told a rather stuffy soldier that they were taking part in the Festival of the Hunt, they were ushered to a room that looked vaguely familiar to Drake.

'Ah, of course. This is the guest room from the game, only I'm not seeing it from above. ...Gosh, I really haven't thought of Gaia as a game in a long while. That was a bit startling.' Drake blinked as he noticed the Burmecian that he had been in the Doom Pub standing just in front of an armoire next to the stairs.

"Ah, it's the archer again. I see you've had your bow tended to." Anastasia looked between the rat-like woman holding a spear and the friend she'd been wandering about with for a little while.

"Yes, I made that a priority. I don't believe we've been introduced properly, yes? I am Drake Kyle. I work with the Tantalus Acting Troupe." The archer bowed slightly, showing his manners. The Burmecian blinked at this slightly from under her strange helmet-like hat.

"I am Freya Crescent, a Dragon knight from Burmecia. I suppose it's likely you know Zidane, considering that you both belong to the same troupe." A smile crossed Drake's face, showing that she was correct in this assumption.

"Yes, I know Zidane. He's one of the members I consider a close friend. Ah, my manners have been forgotten again. Freya, this is Anastasia Cassul, a Red Mage that I met the other day." Anastasia smiled and waved from a slight distance, apparently content to be quiet and watch from the sidelines.

"Well met, Miss Anastasia." Freya bowed slightly to the young woman, who blinked at this show of manners. The clanking of armor made all three hunters turn to look at the door. Drake suppressed a wince as he recognized Steiner turning the corner. However, behind the Knight Captain were a pair of much more welcome faces.

"Mister Drake!" Drake couldn't help but chuckle as Vivi charged from Princess Garnet's side to barrel into the archer's legs to hug him. "I didn't know you were gonna be here!" Drake gently pried the boy's fingers from around his legs and knelt to be on the same level as the black mage.

"Well, if there's an opportunity for me to test myself, of course I'm gonna take it. Hello." The last word had been in greeting to the knight and the Princess. Drake knew better than to greet the young woman by her title, and had not yet been told what her alias was. He wasn't about to make the mistake of calling her 'Dagger' until that had been confirmed. He didn't want to run the risk of being found out if someone started to ask the right questions to the right people.

"Oh, I'm relieved. You all made it out alright?" Drake grinned at the princess, much to the knight's chagrin, still kneeling in front of Vivi. Anastasia had moved so that she was standing in a corner as well.

"Yes. I was sent ahead by the Boss, but I saw them outside of the forest. I heard from Vivi that Blank was petrified, though." A rather familiar, genuine look of worry flashed through his eyes at this. Blank truly was a good friend of his. A disconcerted look crossed Steiner's face at the edge of Drake's vision.

"Yes. I was not awake when it happened, but it is so. I am terribly sorry." Drake gave the princess a slightly weak grin, and turned his attention back to the slightly impatient young black mage.

"Hey Vivi, you remember when I mentioned a red mage earlier, right? I want you to meet Anastasia." Drake gestured towards the slightly startled Red Mage, and the plopped a hand on top of Vivi's head. "I met this kid while still in Alexandria. He got chased onto the stage by a couple of knights, and we took off before he got off. It was kind of a hasty exit, though." Vivi adjusted his hat as soon as Drake removed his hand, and the archer smiled apologetically.

Vivi and the other two wandered up the stairs, as the two girls nearest Drake started to chat about something or other. The archer sat on the steps, and stared at some point on the wall above the door for a while, thinking a bit.

'What exactly am I gonna do when I find Cass, anyway? That's assuming that she's still alive... And then there's the little bit with figuring out how the heck we got here.' Drake let loose a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair, looking incredibly annoyed.

"Eh? What's wrong, man?" Drake blinked out of his thoughts, a startled look on his face as he looked up at the blonde that had addressed him.

"Zidane! Jeez, didn't notice you." Drake smiled a little sheepishly, and tugged on his earlobe, trying to shove aside the thoughts he'd been going through. The thief gave his brunette friend a slightly concerned look, and plopped down on the steps next to him. 'Why's he here now, anyway? If I remember right, in the game, he showed up just before the Hunt started...'

"Yeah, I kinda figured. It's been a long while since I last saw you with that look on your face. You remember something recently?" Drake let a slight frown crease his lips, and he glanced over at Anastasia, who was still talking with Freya. Zidane followed his gaze, and a sly grin crossed his face. "Ah, that's what was occupying your mind? Thought you said you had a girl back where you came from, though." Drake sighed a bit and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"She looks exactly like her." Zidane blinked at Drake, and lifted an eyebrow, seeming to be a bit confused. "And I do mean exactly. Dressed very differently, but looks exactly like her and acts similar." The monkey-tailed boy tilted his head to the side, a semi-serious look on his face as he crossed his arms.

"But you haven't seen her in two years, right..." Drake nodded his head, a very faint depressed look on his face. Zidane smiled softly and patted his archer friend on the shoulder before standing. "Well, I think the festival should be starting soon." Drake sighed slightly and tilted his head from side to side, a soft crack coming from his neck only once. He stood as well, as a strange blue creature entered the room.

Drake and Zidane both stared the newcomer, though the one with a monkey's tail had the wisdom to look away quickly. The creature noticed the archer's outright stare, and glared at the human.

"What you problem? You never see Qu before?!" Drake jumped at the hostile tone. He smiled sheepishly and held up his hands in a slightly placating gesture.

"Ah, no, actually, I haven't. I _have_ heard of your kind before, however." The Qu's glare faded slightly, and Drake rubbed the back of his head. 'Yeesh, this one's got a nasty glare.' "I was just...a little confused. In the book I read about your kind, there were no pictures, so...I admit I did not know you were one of the gourmands."

Drake noticed Zidane looking at Drake out of the corner of his eye. The Qu grumbled to itself and waddled off, and the archer sighed with relief. "I don't think I've ever seen you so diplomatic before." Drake smiled a little sheepishly at his thief friend, and stretched his arms over his head, popping coming from his shoulder joints.

"Well, let's just say that I didn't know that I could calm someone down that quickly." Zidane lifted an eyebrow, as if to say 'oh really?', and Drake chuckled. "I may have been getting more of my memories back, but I don't remember everything yet. ...Still don't remember my own name." Drake frowned slightly, forcing a slight depressed tone into his voice. He was really getting better at overlapping acting normally and lying. It was almost creepy.

"Man...It must suck having amnesia. Heck, the doc that Baku paid for said that he couldn't figure out why you have it." Drake shrugged. He knew why the doctor had said there was nothing wrong with him; it was because it had been the truth.

"At least I'm recovering my memories. Anastasia over there has it, too, only she can't remember anything from before six years old or so. The excuse she was given was that she tried a spell that she couldn't use yet." Zidane frowned, looking worried now. However, before he could ask, the officer of Lindblum that was responsible for briefing the competitors of the Festival of the Hunt arrived. "Ah, that reminded me I wanted to ask you something...It can wait until after, I guess." Zidane gave the archer another odd look, but turned his face back towards the officer.

The man in reddish armor rattled off all the information that Drake already knew, though he was keeping an ear perked in case there was something different. The only thing that was different was that the time limit went from 12 minutes to two hours. Mentally, he lifted an eyebrow at that, but then remembered that in the game, getting from one of the three districts available to the player to the other only took seconds. Living in Lindblum as he was, it took about twenty minutes just to get from the industrial district to the business district.

"What do you wish for your hunter's reward?" Drake forced himself to come back to reality at that sentence, noticing Zidane doing the same next to him. All the formal gobbledygook really just made everyone antsy to get out and start killing Mist monsters.

"I'll go with Gil all the way!" Zidane sure sounded confident. Since Drake was standing next to the money- and girl-obsessed actor thief, he supposed he was next.

"Two or three pound's worth of fletching grade feathers." The soldier gave Drake an odd look for that until he noticed the bow and quiver on the tanned man's back. A pound in feathers really was quite a bit, after all. It'd keep an archer like him supplied for a good long time.

"I'll take a fighter's enchanted." Drake blinked at that phrase, but then remembered what Zidane and Blank had told him about those. They were small items, generally bracers or jewelry of some sort, that had been enchanted to protect the wearer from something or other. Mages could sometimes learn spells from those items, but fighters used them more often.

"Quinn want try foods from other continents." That made Drake lift an eyebrow. Still, he supposed that made sense. Qus were known for searching out the best foods in existence, and this one obviously wanted to try something few of its kind had tasted.

"I'll take a fighter's enchanted as well." Drake looked to Anastasia, whom he had almost forgotten was there. She was so quiet, always watching what was going on around her when she wasn't involved in a conversation with someone.

"And you, Mr. Vivi?" The little black mage, standing on the steps just behind Drake and Zidane, jumped.

"WHAT!? I never signed up!" Drake turned a little to look back at the boy, a slightly amuse and slightly irritated look on his face. The boy did have a set of lungs when he wanted to be heard, that was for sure.

"I thought you would do pretty well, so I signed you up." Drake put his face into his palm at Zidane's calm declaration. Only someone as messed up in the logic department as Zidane could, or would, do that. "Don't worry. With your black magic, it'll be a piece of cake." Drake's eyes flicked to the Qu for a moment at the mention of food, but he caught himself before anyone else noticed.

"I...I don't know..." Drake reached back and gently patted Vivi on the hat. He was pretty sure it bothered the boy, but he was doing it so that he could get him to speak up more often. When he told him he didn't like it, he'd stop.

"That was very inconsiderate of you, Zidane." Drake merely nodded to Freya's announcement, removing his hand from Vivi's head as the boy's red leather gloves reached up to readjust his hat. A look crossed Zidane's face that Drake knew meant trouble, and the archer looked over to the Dragon Knight. The look on her face showed that she knew as well. At least they'd be able to check each other to see what the chances were that Zidane was cooking up something crazy.

"Me and the princess!?" Drake and Freya both turned their eyes to Vivi and Zidane as the boy practically yelled the phrase. Zidane had quickly planted his hand over the boy's mouth to muffle it, and was glancing at the spot where the knight and the princess in question were standing. And for good reason, too, Drake knew.

"What was that!? You just mentioned the princess." Steiner immediately left his spot to the princess's left, and charged down the steps to just behind Vivi. Drake couldn't help but wonder if he did that to seem more intimidating. If that was the case, though, then he'd at least try to keep his armor polished and get some that actually fit him. "What evil deeds are you plotting now!?" Drake merely shook his head.

"Zidane here really doesn't do 'evil'. Mischief, without a glimmer of a doubt, but I can't think of someone less inclined to do something truly evil. Except for the princess." The last bit he added on hastily, seeing the glare being leveled at him by the knight. Luckily, Zidane drew the attention back to himself in a second, anyway.

"It's nothing, right Vivi?" The black mage boy turned to look up at the knight, suddenly looking terrified by the looming presence of the knight captain.

"Y-yeah." The soldier in red armor coughed slightly to get them to pay attention to him again. Drake's eyes flitted to him as soon as the sound reached his ears, which only told of how on edge he was. Already he was getting himself pumped up for the hunt to begin, and archers were well known for being constantly aware of their surroundings, especially when off on their own.

"So, what would you like for your reward?" Vivi shifted uncomfortably again. Drake really couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the kid. He knew what it was like to be put on the spot and surprised at the same time.

"Oh, um...I'll take a Tetra Master card." Drake smirked at that. He had enjoyed the game quite a bit himself, when he played the game, but he had never quite gotten the highest ranking. He simply hadn't had the patience. Nowadays, though, he likely would have less patience for it, knowing what sort of things he could be doing otherwise. Though doing it little by little didn't sound too bad, either. Sort of like a way to unwind.

"Okay, so Gil, several pounds of fletching grade feathers, two fighter's enchanteds, a trip to another continent, and...a card." The soldier sounded slightly bemused at the choices the hunters he'd had to brief had made. Drake heard him repeat the list under his breath a couple of times, likely to make sure that he remembered it all. He supposed that the hunters were split up into small groups partly to make it easier on those who had to report what each hunter wanted.

"The festival will begin shortly. You all have different starting points. Hunter Zidane will start in the Theater District. Hunter Drake will begin in the Garden District. Hunter Freya will start in the Industrial District. Hunter Quinn will start in the Mage's District. Hunter Anastasia will begin in the Artisan's District, and Hunter Vivi will start in the Business District." Drake winced as he heard which district he would be starting in. As did Zidane, still standing next to him.

"Well, someone had to draw the short straw," the tanned archer muttered, reaching up to scratch at his head. He noticed Vivi looking up at him, and glanced down at the boy

"What's so bad about a district filled with flowers?" Drake and Zidane both chuckled humorlessly. Freya understood what was wrong at their reaction, and Anastasia apparently had already known, judging by the sympathetic look she was giving Drake.

"It isn't filled with flowers, Vivi, nor does it smell even remotely like one. The Garden District is an ironic name." Vivi tilted his head to the side, still clueless. "Eh, it doesn't matter. You probably won't ever be going there. Most residents of Lindblum avoid it." The hunters started to file out of the room, some more enthusiastically than others.

Anastasia walked next to Drake until they reached the aircab station, and then gave him a sympathetic look before climbing into the one headed off to the Artisan's district. Zidane gave Drake a small, sheepish smile before heading off to their home district, and Drake sighed. He was the one heading onto the aircab next.

"Where to, hunter?" The aircab driver apparently was quite fond of his job, as he actually gave Drake a smile, to which the slightly depressed archer gave a flat look.

"Garden District," he groaned as he plopped down on a padded bench. The driver blinked at him, and then gave him the same sympathetic look everyone was.

"Ah, drew the short straw this year, eh? My advice: scrub hard after ya get back, especially if some kids are being vengeful and throw crap at ya." Drake chuckled at the slight joke, and then sat up more as the man quietly left the station to make room for the next cab.

Drake couldn't help but sigh again as they reached the dilapidated building that was the aircab station for the Garden District. Immediately, he noted the difference between the Theatre District and the Garden District. First off, there was no trash alongside the road in the Theatre District. He could see several rags and broken baskets from where he stood already. Still, he paused and looked down the street both ways, evaluating his surroundings and how effectively he could fight there.

The buildings all looked like they had been there long before the castle, and, as far as he knew, they had been. There were no flowerboxes sitting in windows to make the surroundings cheerier, there were weeds sprouting up in between cobblestones, and there were patches were the stones were missing entirely. Still, with the staggered rooftops and ladders placed about, it was apparent that the roofs were used as much for travel as the streets were. And so, he started towards a ladder and went up it to get a better look at the area, and to start gathering game.

~*~ATE~*~

Captain Steiner looked around as he and Princess Garnet were led to the area above a slightly dented gate, sneering slightly at the commoners they passed. The two of them got to stand at the very top of the arch, sure, but the closeness of these people were endangering the princess!

"Such rudeness! Princess, they are treating you like a commoner!" The young woman sighed with exasperation and looked over the city, her eyes peering and looking for the people she knew in the city below.

"Oh, hush. We get a great view from here." This statement made the knight blink and pay attention to that detail.

"Hmm, you're right. I can see the entire town." The knight's eyes were immediately drawn to the poorest area, and he squinted as he picked out a figure climbing up onto a roof. "Look there. Is that the boy the monkey is friends with? The archer?" Princess Garnet looked where the knight indicated, and squinted.

"I don't know. That person is so far away, I can't tell. But that area...it's so bleak." Steiner immediately decided to distract the princess from the apparent poverty of the area the archer was in.

"Princess, look! Master Vivi is also participating!" The girl turned from squinting at the distant figure to rest her eyes on the young black mage she had become friends with.

~*~ATE END~*~

Drake swore under his breath as he ducked not only a Trick Sparrow, but also a clod of something that resembled dirt as he pulled an arrow from his quiver. He nocked the projectile and quickly released it, not even having to look to know that it had taken the bird down. He instead looked to what had thrown that clod, scowling slightly.

His eyes landed on a dirty-faced boy, and the archer relaxed his fingers, allowing the arrow he had reached for to slide back into the quiver a little. A weary-looking woman emerged from a building to the boy's back, and grabbed his arm to drag him inside. Drake nodded in greeting to the woman, and then whipped the arrow out to shoot it into the head of a Mu that was bounding to attack them.

"You may wish to lock your door, ma'am. I'll do my best to keep the monsters out, though some may yet evade me." The woman looked surprised that this rather clean man with an expensive-seeming weapon was taking the time to speak with her, and was concerned with her well-being.

"...Thank you. You take care, sir." Drake flashed the woman a smile, though it faltered as he heard her berating the boy for throwing feces at him. He had a feeling that's what it was. It certainly didn't smell like dirt.

'I'll spend about half an hour here, and then head off to one of the other districts. With my rate of kills, I should be able to get through most of the monsters allotted to this district, though the Trick Sparrows are able to fly about, and this has the most available food for them. Still, the greatest threat to those living here is from the ground.' As he thought, Drake picked off two Fangs and three Mus from a distance. He couldn't tell if he was in the lead or not, but at the moment, he really didn't care. He knew there was someone watching him from a tower nearby, but that really wasn't what he was thinking of. 'There aren't even any guards in this district to protect the few people that couldn't get into their homes! This is...Grah!' He let loose another shot at a Fang, sending it flying with how much strength he'd put into the projectile.

"Definitely gonna have to mention this to the regent," he growled under his breath as he climbed a ladder to trot along the rooftops. He did better when he was higher, he'd found. "Somehow, I doubt he'd leave any district this unguarded." A small flock of Trick Sparrows fell in rapid succession, and Drake clicked his tongue in annoyance as he reached back and found his quiver empty. Instead of going and searching for his arrows, he unhooked the quiver from on his back and took the full one he'd accepted from an old archer he'd saved a little while earlier. He pulled off the cap, put that on his old quiver, and then switched where they were before continuing on.

A little while later, Drake paused on a rooftop and looked around. He didn't see many monsters left, and those that remained were all Trick Sparrows. He dropped down to the street and ran all the way to the aircab station. The woman whose son had thrown dung at him stopped him, and handed him another quiver of arrows.

"Thank you. Not many know it, but many who live in this district used to take part in the festival, and many are regularly injured. You're the first hunter in a long while to take the time to clear out so many monsters before moving on. Please, take this. My husband has no use for them where he is now." Drake looked in the woman's eyes, and saw the pain there.

'Her husband must have died in a past festival. No wonder her son is so angry towards hunters.' Drake gave her a small smile, and slung the quiver with his empty one. "My thanks. May your son grow strong and wise." The woman's eyes widened at this soft prayer for her, and the archer left. He was already in the building where the aircab waited for him when her tongue returned to her.

"Such kindness...Never have I seen it before..."

Drake grinned at the aircab driver that had been waiting for him, and the smile grew as the man noticed that he had no splats of brown on him at all. Apparently it was a rare occurrence.

"Where to, m'boy?" Drake stretched his arms as he sat down in the cab. There was no hurry at the moment, considering how long it took to get between districts.

"Hm. I suppose the Mage's District." The man nodded and started the cab up. Drake had wanted to go to the Artisan's District, but he figured that Anastasia had mopped up that area pretty well. She had moved as if having a pair of swords at her hips was an everyday habit. He could only guess at how well she could use them, and, quite frankly, Drake had decided that maybe it would do him good to stop thinking about her. He thought about Cass enough, there was no need to add another woman who looked just like her.

"So, how'd you manage to get through the area that long wi'out gettin' nailed by one o' them kids?" Drake tilted his head to the side as he looked at the aircab driver. He'd discovered on his way there that the man was quite talkative.

"I befriended a few people. And I stuck around to make sure that there weren't any Fangs or mus left around. I didn't see one guard while I was there." The anger in Drake's voice must have startled the driver, because he was silent for a minute or two.

"Y'know why I'm the only one that drives the route to and from the Garden District? Cause I'm the only cab driver that lives there. And I've never heard a hunter speak of my neighbors as you have. Y'got a good heart, son." Drake merely shifted in his seat. He had a feeling that the man was form the Garden District, considering the look that had been in his eyes when they had arrived. It made him feel bad about how grumpy he had been at first.

"...Is this the first time there have been no guards there?" There was a squeak of leather, and Drake leaned a bit to see the aircab driver glaring forwards, his hands tight on the controls.

"No. There are guards there, but they'll hole up in a tavern and get drunk. They complain about how the air there stinks, and how they'd love to be in another district, but they drink up all the same. Some of the girls that work in those taverns will be traumatized after the Hunt, though none of them say which soldier took advantage of 'em." That alone made Drake cold with anger, though he took hold of that anger and tucked it away. Oh, he would definitely be speaking to the regent on this.

"You can be sure that this news will reach the Regent's ear this year." The aircab driver risked a look back at the archer, his eyebrows up. He understood as he saw the fire snapping in the young man's dark eyes, though.

"...Y'don't come from a big city." Drake shook his head as the driver looked back to the air in front of them.

"No, I don't. That some people can be so callous to leave those they're responsible for unprotected grates on me as well. Hearing that they...Well, let's just say that that is something my honor will never allow." The driver chuckled.

"Honor? Honor's got nothin' t'do with it." Drake smirked slightly and looked to the sky.

"For them, perhaps, and perhaps people who are ground down by living hand-to-mouth have no use for it, but I do. My girl once told me that I had honor enough for a whole family." A slightly hoarse chuckle came from Drake, and he lifted a hand to wipe a tear that was threatening to escape his eye. "Gods above, I haven't thought of her dry humor for so long...Hope she hasn't moved on." The driver was silent at that, as if expecting Drake to go on with his story, but the archer didn't, still staring out at the few puffy clouds dotting the sky.

Drake waved a bit as he climbed out of the aircab, noting that the one that the Qu would have used wasn't there. At the driver's comment, Drake left the empty quiver behind, and went off with the two he had been given.

As soon as he was on the streets, Drake understood why the other aircab wasn't there. Quinn had been knocked out early, and most of this District was still full of monsters. With a sigh, Drake pulled out an arrow and sent a Trick Sparrow plummeting, killing both it and the Mu it had been carrying. He heard it announced from the tower nearby, and was astonished to hear that he was currently in the lead. What had the others been doing? Well, at least he had been given both kills.

Another arrow came from the quiver, and took down another Mu that was running down the street without so much as a flinch. An eerie howl made the archer pause for a moment, and he took an arrow from the quiver on his back as he started to dash towards the source of the sound. That didn't sound like a Fang, and Mus couldn't howl...The Zaghnol was located in the Business District...So what the heck was that?!

Drake skidded to a halt as he turned the corner and saw the beast responsible for the noise as it howled again. From this close, he could see why the howl had sounded so strange. It came from three mouths.

"A Cerberus...the hell? They don't show up until Ipsen's castle...Why the hell is it here?" The beast responded to Drake's muttering, and turned, snarling. Drake winced at the sight of drool coming from each mouth and pooling in the one below. 'Oh, gross.'

The Cerberus lunged towards Drake, who quickly scampered up a ladder onto a rooftop without unnocking his arrow or getting injured. And as he crouched on the rather low roof, safely out of harm's way, he noticed something odd. The Cerberus looked smaller in comparison to himself than it had been in the game. Was it younger? He knew that the Zaghnol had been taken down in levels for its first appearance in the game, but he wasn't sure if it was the case for this Cerberus.

'Why the heck am I thinking in terms of levels?! Those don't exist here. Accuracy and strength do.' The man stood and aimed at the Cerberus, aiming for its roaring head. He let loose, and the thing caught the arrow in its shoulder. "Damn, it moved." The beast rammed into the building Drake was standing on, and he had to crouch to keep from falling off. A yell from down the street made Drake turn and look for a second, but the creature did as well, and he took advantage of it, spinning an arrow out of the quiver on his back and shooting it into the Cerberus's eye. The thing howled in pain, but it didn't die like he half expected it to.

"Drake!! Are you alright?!" The archer swore under his breath as he identified who it was approaching now, with twin swords in her hands.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Anastasia. A bit concerned as to why this thing's here, but I'm fine." The Cerberus looked between the two of them, trying to keep an eye on both of them with its one remaining eye at the same time. Drake was pretty sure that Anastasia noticed this as well, as she stopped a fair distance away.

"Hey, how about you take this kill? It's likely to count for quite a bit, and you'd have more use for your prize than I would have for mine." Drake shrugged, and, while the thing was busy looking at Anastasia, aimed an arrow at its head. When he released, it dug into its ear and through it. It howled in pain as it fell on the ground thrashing. Drake wasn't sure if he had merely gotten it angry or actually killed it until it hadn't moved at all for several minutes. Apparently, the same could be said for Anastasia. "...Is it dead?" Drake cautiously climbed down and poked at its dead body with an arrow. It didn't twitch, even when he moved the arrow lodged in its ear.

"It's dead. With how it reacted, when I shot it in the ear, had it not been dead, I don't think it'd be able to keep from growling or whatever when I moved that." Drake nocked the arrow he'd poked the dead Cerberus with and idly shot down a Trick Sparrow before looking at Anastasia. "Thanks, by the way. If you weren't here to draw its attention from me, I don't think it would have died that quickly." Anastasia merely smiled, and looked around.

"Well, it looks like this District doesn't have too much game left in it, so I suppose I'll leave it to you. See you later!" Drake blinked as the pretty brunette waved at him and trotted down the street. What did she mean, it didn't have much game left in it? With a shrug, he simply turned and started on down the street, killing more Trick Sparrow and Mus. He didn't see too many Fangs anymore.

A cheer came from a window above his head as he headed into a small plaza, and he looked up. He couldn't help but smile as he saw four or five children looking out of the window at him. He lifted his empty right hand and waved at them before noticing a Trick Sparrow aiming at them and whipped out an arrow to kill it. That little show only made them cheer more, and Drake made a shooing gesture. They understood, and closed the window.

A few more minutes, and Drake understood what Anastasia had meant about there being little game left in the District. The Cerberus had either killed the rest, or made them flee to other districts. So, he supposed it was time for him to move on as well. His aircab driver friend had moved his vehicle a bit, likely to get out of the way for the one Anastasia had been on, and Drake sighed a little as he settled back into his seat.

"Where to?" Drake tilted his head from side to side for a moment, feeling the muscles relax for the few seconds he allowed them to.

"Business District." The driver nodded and headed off, aware of how tired his passenger was getting.

"You meet up with one of the two biggies they let loose every year?" Drake lifted his head a little at the mention that there were to large monsters that were part of the tradition.

"Three mouths, two tails and several chains ring any bells," Drake drawled, a slight smirk on his face. Judging by the twitch the driver gave, it most certainly did. "Never knew I could climb a ladder that fast in my life. And I did it with one hand." Drake and the driver both laughed, knowing how close a call that had been.

Drake sighed as he walked through the streets of the Business District. Most of the city had to have been picked clean by now, he was sure. A rumbling, echoing roar made him trot down the street, remembering what had been waiting for him when he'd gone dashing towards the source of a sound last. He slowed to a walk when he heard people talking after a loud thump.

"Thanks, Freya. Now I can get that date with Dagger!" Drake lifted an eyebrow. Had it really taken them that long to kill the Zaghnol? Or maybe what had killed the Cerberus hadn't been strength but accuracy and a lot of luck.

"Dagger? You're going out with a girl named after a weapon?" Judging by the sudden sounds as he walked into sight, Drake had taken the other two by surprise. Zidane relaxed as he saw who it was. Freya was still a bit on edge, though.

"Ah. Well, I'll explain it later. You alright, though? You get nailed by anything over in the Garden District?" It was Drake's turn to smile now. Freya was slowly relaxing, her stance dropping as she saw that Drake was still aware of his surroundings.

"Nah. If you're nice to people, they're nice back. That includes little poo-throwing kids." Zidane laughed loud at that, and Freya turned to look after the kids that had been cornered at the synthesist's shop. "His mom was nice enough to give me a full quiver of arrows that her husband never used." Zidane looked at the emotion in Drake's eyes, and gave a small smile.

"People die every year." Drake nodded, this time seeming serious as he looked at the Zaghnol.

"Yeah...You remember the touchy Qu that we were briefed with? I'm pretty darn sure he didn't survive the Mage's District. There was a monster there that took me by surprise." Zidane made a sound in the back of his throat, and Drake nocked an arrow to his bow, looking up at a Trick Sparrow. "Three mouths on one head. Two bloodstained tails. Walked on all fours." Drake released the arrow, dropping the bird. "A few broken chains. I shot it in the ear, cause it was paying attention to someone other than me. I honestly didn't know if it was dead or not until I poked it."

"Y-you poked something you didn't know was dead or not?!" Drake smiled sheepishly at his thief friend.

"Hey, it was freaking out all over the street. I couldn't tell if it was dying or just really freakin' pissed." Zidane chuckled. "At least you could tell the deal with yours, cause there was a freaking knife in its eye!" Drake was still pretty shaken over the fact that there had been a creature in the Hunt Festival that he hadn't been aware was there.

"Eh, true enough." Drake waved to Freya as she left, and went to poke his head into Torres's shop. "Hey, wh-"

"Hey Torres, you alright?" The old man came out of his back room and peered at Drake with surprise.

"Drake! I didn't know you'd be here!" The archer merely grinned at that. "Aye, Wayne and myself are just fine. How's your bow holdin' up?" Drake glanced at the weapon, as if to check.

"It's doing well. I remembered what you told me about putting too many layers on a low-quality bow, but it isn't acting any different, no matter how much or how little strength I put into it." Torres nodded, glad that that was the case, and waved a little as he went back into his hidey-hole. Not having a front door caused some problems, after all, especially when the city you lived in had a tendency to let monsters loose in the streets.

"Heh. So, since you and I are the only ones that got the big baddies...Should we slack off?" Drake grinned at his friend and twanged the string on his bow. Zidane rolled his eyes, reading what was there. "Man, you're already far ahead of me! All those Trick Sparrows really add up, and you're the only one I know of that can kill them while they're up in the air!" Drake laughed and walked towards the main plaza of the Business District. Zidane walked along with him, the two chatting as if they weren't about twenty minutes from the end of the Festival of the Hunt.

"You know, when I heard that the festival lasted two hours long, I figured that I'd be fine. My arm freaking hurts." Zidane looked at Drake as he complained slightly, rubbing his right arm.

"Well, with how much strength it takes to just pull back on that thing, I'm not surprised. I don't care what you say, you've gotta be one of the strongest guys I've ever met." Drake merely rubbed the tip of his nose with a small smile as his eyes scanned both the skies and the streets ahead of him. If he saw something on the ground, he supposed he'd let Zidane go after it, but the skies were his and his alone. "Too bad all that strength just goes towards one thing." Drake chuckled a little. No, actually, he could use that strength for a few other things, like climbing. But Zidane didn't know that at the moment.

But, as it turned out, there weren't any monsters left in that district. And it took far too long to get to another district by that time, so they simply stood in front of the aircab station, comparing their runs. Zidane had been pulling some rather acrobatic stunts as he dashed around the Theatre District, which really didn't surprise Drake.

"So you really didn't get nailed by some kid throwing crap?" Drake smiled, amusement clear on his face.

"One tried. I ducked. His mom scolded him after I didn't take offense." Zidane's eyebrows went up. Drake had forgiven a little kid that had tried to hit him with something that stank like nothing else?

"...Softie." Drake sent Zidane an odd look, smiles on both their faces. Zidane started to chuckle, and then both of them burst into laughter. Drake actually ended up sitting down and holding his gut, he laughed so hard. "Oh, oww...I haven't laughed that hard in so long. So...what was it you wanted to ask me earlier?" The laughter coming from Drake faded instantly, and the archer sat on the steps leading to the aircab station.

"How...how did Blank get petrified?" The question made Zidane immediately calmer, like Drake knew it would. It was only logical that Drake would ask after Blank. He'd seen the redhead leave, and he wasn't with Zidane. That Drake already knew that he'd been petrified meant that someone else that had been with them had told him.

"...The kid tell you?" Drake nodded, looking up at the monster-less sky. "He...He pushed me out of the way of one of the forest's monsters. It was about to catch me, cause I was running at the back, and he just...shoved me and got caught himself." Drake bowed his head then, closing his eyes. He knew why Blank had done it. He had known that Blank would do it. So why did he still feel pain? Why did his mind still fill itself with visions of what could have happened, what could still happen?

"So the whole forest turned to stone...and our bro's still attached to the forest." Zidane nodded, sitting down next to the archer, looking towards the sky.

"Even barricaded him in. Thorny vines covering all the gaps in the trees along the edges..." Leather squeaked as Drake clenched his fist. An explosion overhead made both of the men look up sharply, as if expecting some new enemy to be attacking them.

"...Festival's over." Zidane nodded, and stood up. Drake did as well, though a little slower.

"Time to head back to the castle and see who won." The two men went into the aircab station, and the driver that had taken a liking to Drake brought them to the castle. Drake made sure to retrieve his empty quiver. Having a few extras was nice, he'd found already.

Zidane chattered away at the driver the whole trip back, so Drake merely sat back and listened with an ear while he was busy with his own thoughts. The top four hunters got to eat with the regent, and Garnet was likely to be invited as a guest, due to her royal status. Zidane and himself were most definitely going to be there, and Freya was likely as well. Drake wasn't sure if Vivi or Anastasia would be, though. He hadn't gotten to see either of them fight, so he didn't know how they did.

The number of hunters that were gathered at the aircab station at the castle surprised Drake a little. His eyes scanned over them, and he noticed Quinn, albeit a bit bloody and battered, was still alive. A particular brunette was what he was looking for, though. Zidane noticed his friend searching, and nudged him in the ribs before nodding towards a person who was waiting apart from the crowd. Drake's eyes lit up as he saw it was who he was looking for.

"Go ahead and talk to 'er." Drake gave his friend an odd look as the monkey slapped his shoulder and went to listen to the results of the festival. The archer merely shrugged and wandered over to the pretty brunette.

"I see you made it unscathed." Drake couldn't help but chuckle at Anastasia's comment. He slung his bow over his back and stretched out his right arm.

"Aside from some cramps in my drawing arm, yes." This made Anastasia laugh. "So, do you have any idea how you did?" The red mage's eyes glittered at him with laughter as she tapped a finger on her lower lip, as if contemplating not telling him.

"Mm. I did well enough, but I don't think I'll be joining the top four. That's alright with me, anyway. I have to get on the road again soon." Drake blinked at this. "I need to meet with my benefactor out towards Burmecia in a couple of days. So I'm not entirely sure if I'll be able to even take part of the feast." Drake had a slight frown on his face, and he looked towards the official that was announcing the results.

"Ah, that's..." Gah, he was getting too attached to her. 'Besides,' he told himself, 'I love Cass! Anastasia just looks like her. She isn't her.' "Well, I talked to Zidane about my friend. Turns out that the forest petrified itself. He's in the middle of the forest. Zidane saw him petrified, though." The red mage looked to the sky as she thought.

"Hm...A normal soft potion won't work, then. Maybe a Supersoft? That should have enough power." Drake blinked at Anastasia, as if he hadn't known the answer already.

"A Supersoft, huh? Hm. Wonder where we could find it..." Anastasia shrugged her shoulders as she ran her thumbs over the pommels of her swords.

"I think Treno would be a pretty good place to start. You know what they say. If you can't find it there, it probably doesn't exist." Drake chuckled, but nodded. "Well, I should get going. See you around." Drake waved a little weakly to Anastasia as the crowd started to disperse.

"Hm, looks like you got it bad for her." Drake looked at Zidane, the flat look making the man laugh. "I'm just sayin', man! You looked so happy when I pointed her out, and now you look depressed cause she's walkin' away. You sure it ain't just cause she looks like your old girl?" Drake was starting to glare at Zidane, something he didn't often do. The monkey-tailed man held up his hands placatingly, suddenly intimidated by his friend. "Okay, okay! No need to glare." Drake huffed under his breath and started to walk off. "Oh! Wait! I didn't tell you what you got!"

* * *

And that's it for the Festival of the Hunt, aside from announcing who won! So who _did_ win? How will they react to the announcement that Burmecia is under attack? Will Anastasia be safe, heading towards Burmecia? And why is Drake falling so quickly for Anastasia? Heck, even I don't know that one.

As for the Qu in the hunt, yes, there was one there. I was playing one day and got the message 'Strange Gourmand is in the lead with' however many points it had. I checked the FF wikia, and it says that that Qu was Quina, but really, that seems a lot like speculation to me. As for the Districts, there really weren't enough, so I started to make some up. ~laughs~ I really enjoyed thinking up the Garden District. I think I may have the group go visit that area again sometime. And hopefully, they'll be able to dodge poo-slinging kids. Again.


	5. It Begins

Hoo boy, it took me a while to get this one out, I'm sorry. I'm sure I've said it before, but I have a tendency to keep a chapter in reserve instead of updating as soon as I've finished it.

...The title is sort of a nod to Bahamut from FFX, where he warns Tidus. Too bad Drake didn't have a warning like that, eh?

Most of this chapter was done by staring at a video of someone playing the game, and pausing, hoping to catch the sentences I needed. It isn't easy. As for the points Drake got...Let's just say that Trick Sparrows really add up when you're the only one that can hit them in the air. And the fact that the Hunt lasted much longer than it did in the game.

~.~*~.~*~.~*~.~*~.~

Chapter 4: It Begins

"350 points! Amazing! Congratulations!" Drake rubbed the back of his head a little sheepishly before stepping forwards and accepting the small crest with a pair of arrows crossing over it. That was the symbol of the Master Hunter of the Festival of the Hunt. On the back was the year that he had earned it and how many points he had gotten.

"We grant you the 'Master Hunter' and your reward. Though gathering so many feathers may take a while." Drake allowed a small smiled to flash in his tanned face.

"I still don't know how you racked up so many points," Zidane drawled from behind Drake. The archer turned to look at him, his smile gaining a teasing appearance to it.

"Maybe it's because I've spent more time on my fighting and less on women?" That shut Zidane right up. And Drake hadn't said 'all my time', knowing that if he had, Zidane would have pointed out his latest interest in the red mage Anastasia.

"I'm glad to see that not all of those in Tantalus have their minds on the opposite gender," Freya commented with a soft chuckle, her eyes glinting as she looked meaningfully at Zidane. A sound made them all look to the door, however. Drake felt his stomach flip as he realized what was happening.

'...Gods, Burmecia. Anastasia was headed out that way! I hope she hears and she and her benefactor go elsewhere.' Drake's eyes rested on the Burmecian soldier as he stumbled up the steps. '...Now I see why he croaked so quickly in the game. Gods, I can see the bone of his skull!' The archer swallowed to try to keep from throwing up. He never did have the strongest stomach.

Freya must have noticed the look in his eyes, because as she moved to the soldier's side, she patted his shoulder once. Zidane must have also noticed, because he subtly moved in front of Drake, blocking the archer's view of the soldier. Vivi didn't seem to be affected by the sight at all, which made Drake a bit confused, once he was past his nausea.

"Please forgive my intrusion," the dying soldier groaned out. There were a couple of soldiers down by the door that Drake could see, likely they had helped the dying man thus far. "I bring urgent news...from our king." Freya knelt next to the soldier, arms ready to catch him if he fell.

"The king of Burmecia?" Cid was starting to waddle down from his throne, and Minister Artania turned to whisper to him. The regent whispered something back before continuing on towards the blinded soldier. "Continue."

"Our kingdom is being attacked my some unknown force! We are severely outmatched! Please send reinforcements immediately!" Drake couldn't help but feel admiration for this soldier. Here he was, dying, and he was begging for help for his countrymen instead of getting attention for his wounds. "The enemy looks like an army of mages wearing...steeple-crowned hats." Drake couldn't help but let his eyes flick to Vivi as he backed up. He always felt so sorry for the kid.

"The king and I are old friends. We will send reinforcements to Burmecia immediately." Drake frowned suddenly. Would he? The man turned oglop certainly sounded sincere, but he couldn't remember of any orders towards that action from the game. Was he merely lying to put the mind of the soldier at ease?

"Thank you, Regent! The king...and all of Burmecia will be most grateful!" The rat-like man started to move as if trying to stand. "I must...return now..." Drake took a step forwards as the man fell, right into Freya's arms. Her head was tilted down, so Drake couldn't see just how affected by the man's death she was.

"Take him to the infirmary!" Cid seemed alarmed now. Did he not want the man to die in front of his treasured niece? Freya simply shook her head, her fingers having already found the spot where the soldier's pulse was supposed to be.

"It's too late. He's gone..." Her voice was soft, with barely a hint of sadness there. "It's a miracle he even made it this far. I can't believe this is happening..." Drake stepped forwards, still looking a little green, and knelt to gently close the soldier's blinded eyes.

"Looks like things are going to get crazy. I was really hoping that that feeling I had wasn't true." Several people gave him an odd look, but Drake really didn't notice, his eyes memorizing what the dead man looked like. This was what he was walking into.

The Burmecian soldiers all had the exact same sprite in the game, but this one had greyer skin than the sprite had showed. There were a few old scars across his muzzle, as if he had seen many fights. He seemed to Drake like a veteran, a soldier that had been trusted to take care of himself. And he had, up until he had been so badly injured on his mad dash to Lindblum.

Drake stood and allowed the soldiers that had helped the Burmecian up to the room to remove the body, and looked down at Vivi as the boy grabbed his left hand and looked up at him with wide eyes. Drake couldn't help but smile slightly at him. Of all the ones to see that the archer was shaken, it had to be the youngest of them.

"This is a problem," the minister mused from where he had moved on top of the dais, looking to the regent. "Because of the festival, there are hardly any men left in the castle. It will take time to mobilize." This reminded Drake of what he had promised to tell the regent about. He supposed he'd have to write it down and leave it as a note for the oglop.

"We have no choice. Call back the Fourth Aerial Division patrolling the border." Drake blinked at this. Cid had absolutely no hesitance in his voice, despite that he likely was feeling rather inadequate to do his job while not a human. That had been remarked on several times in the game, after all.

"But if we recall the Fourth, we will lose our eyes over Alexandria." This was a dilemma for them. With Queen Brahne acting as insanely as she was, not keeping an eye on her was a very bad idea.

"Gwok-gwok! Burmecia is our ally. We must help them." Hm. Looked like Drake had remembered wrong. Cid fully meant to go to Burmecia's aide. That was a relief. Unlike the leaders of his home, the leader of Lindblum was a man of his word.

"Steeple-crowned hats... They might be black mages, like Vivi." Drake blinked down at the young mage as he flinched, still holding hands with the archer. The tanned man heard the soft denial as the boy started to shake, and knelt to offer him more comfort.

"Could it be Mother...!?" Drake glanced at Garnet as she thought aloud. He kinda felt sorry for her. The woman she considered her mother was so twisted already. She was going to be in for a rude awakening when she tried to reason with her.

"I must go now. I cannot sit and wait for the reinforcements." Drake and Zidane both looked to Freya, who had turned to look at them. Drake now had his arm wrapped around Vivi's shoulders, still trying to comfort the boy.

"I'm coming with you." Drake and Vivi exchanged looks with each other as Zidane announced his intentions to Freya. The dragoon wasn't pleased.

"No, this doesn't concern you." Drake stood, seeing that Vivi was now feeling better.

"What's this, I'm a stranger all of a sudden!?" Zidane wasn't terribly happy, either. Though these two knew what they were walking into better than either Vivi or Drake did, the two ranged fighters knew they weren't going to let them go off all on their own. "I'm not gonna sit back and watch your home get destroyed, alright?" This seemed to take Freya back a bit.

"I'm going as well." Now all eyes were on Drake, who had glanced towards where the soldier had died. "I can't say that I know you that well, Freya, but I can't stand off to the side when people need help. That reminds me. Regent, you may want to investigate what the soldiers do during the festival down in the Garden District. I didn't see a one when I was there." This statement astonished both the minister and the regent. Freya looked surprised at this as well, though it may have simply been the tight anger that had been tingeing Drake's voice. Zidane certainly gave Drake an odd look.

"...Thank you, Zidane, Drake." Freya's voice was soft with emotion, though she didn't sound like she was going to cry anytime soon.

"Um, c-can I come, too? I wanna find out who they really are." Drake looked down at Vivi. He supposed that Drake speaking up had bolstered his confidence, because he didn't sound nearly as nervous as Drake had supposed he would sound. Zidane nodded, though there was a slight worried look in his face. Drake was starting to figure that he was agreeing to let Vivi and Drake join them because they were male and because their skills really were almost necessary.

"Alright, then. Let's go to Burmecia." Dagger- no, he hadn't yet been told she was called Dagger. Garnet seemed so sure that she would be part of the group heading towards Burmecia. Drake almost swore he saw a glint of adventure in her eyes. He and Vivi at least had an inkling of what they were getting into. Garnet didn't. Not yet.

"Princess! This is a foreign matter! It has nothing to do with us!" Steiner certainly knew. Then again, he was the captain of a squad of knights. He was a veteran, even though he still fell asleep while standing on guard duty. Not that Drake was supposed to know that yet.

"Steiner is right. We don't know if Alexandria is involved." Even the regent was getting involved. Garnet was getting a slightly rebellious look on her face now, though.

"But if black mages are involved...Zidane, you know what I'm talking about." So did Drake, but he certainly didn't let it show on his face. His nerves were really gonna be shot by the time he actually told all of them the truth. If he ever told them the truth.

Meanwhile, Zidane had turned from Garnet, hiding his facial expression from her. Drake could still see it, though, and he was looking both thoughtful and saddened. However, Garnet was still trying to press her case. "If Mother is behind this, I'll make her stop! I promise!" Unlike in the game, the princess wasn't addressing just Zidane. She had turned her head to look towards her uncle as well, which was fitting, as he was currently her guardian.

"...I think you should stay here." Zidane's voice was abnormally soft. Drake understood why he was doing this. He wanted her to be safe, not only because she was a princess, but because he was starting to like her. Her powers would be useful in battle, yes, but her mind wasn't ready for it yet. Drake wasn't fully ready for it yet.

"What!?" Garnet sounded like she was ready to throw a hissy fit, and if the glare she was sending towards Zidane was any indication, this was the first time she had been denied anything. With a sigh, Zidane turned to look at the princess.

"We don't know what to expect there." Garnet threw her arm to the side, as if dismissing that notion.

"I've already faced great danger coming here! What's the difference!?" The princess's voice wasn't suited to loud volumes, Drake noted off-handedly, though there was still plenty of venom in her words.

'Hell hath no wrath like that of a woman scorned, Zidane, and your lady friend is quickly starting to feel scorned.' Drake shifted his weight to the side, still standing next to Vivi and looking between the two as if it were a tennis match.

"Dagger, this is war. A lot of people are gonna die." Garnet pouted. She apparently thought she knew this, but she didn't have the same look in her eyes that Zidane and Freya had.

"I know that!" Drake mumbled under his breath, and noticed Zidane glancing towards him. He hadn't been that loud had he? No, Garnet was still raging at only Zidane, so he hadn't.

"...How did you feel when you saw that Burmecian soldier die, just now?" Garnet seemed taken aback by the question. To her, it seemed like a random question, but it had a reason, Drake knew.

"...I felt sad, of course." Sad hadn't even begun to describe what Drake had felt, he suddenly realized. He felt dread. He felt grief. He felt anger. He felt fear.

"Just sad? Weren't you scared, too?" Zidane was the one wearing the frown, now. He'd been able to read all those emotions on Drake's face when the archer had seen the soldier, and knew that it hadn't been just because of the wounds. "Obviously, you haven't realized how dangerous it's gonna be... You could get killed. This is no time to be talking about convincing your mother of anything." Garnet looked like she was starting to understand, but there was still a look of rebelliousness in her eyes. Drake hoped in a corner of his mind that none of her children ever inherited that trait and caused trouble for her.

"But..."

"Now's not the time to argue." Drake glanced up at Cid, who had a slightly relieved look on his face. He was glad that he hadn't been the one to say it plainly for Garnet to understand.

"He's right. We must head to Burmecia at once." All eyes turned to the regent once more. "Will you open the Dragon's Gate?" The oglop nodded, and Drake wondered for a moment on how the oglop body evolved. They were such odd creatures.

"Of course. If you're going by foot, leaving from that gate is the best way. Let us eat while we gwok wait for the gate to open." Drake frowned. He wasn't entirely sure if his stomach would accept food just yet. He glanced back at where the soldier had died, and blinked, seeing that there were servants cleaning the blood up already. The whole group headed out of the audience chamber and went to the room below it. Drake already knew that Cid would be there before them.

By the time they were all in the feasting room, all the food was there already, and the smell was teasing his nose, making him second-guess the state of his stomach. Unlike the game, the minister was joining them as well, and situated himself between Steiner and the regent. Drake found himself between Vivi and Zidane, taking the corner diagonal to the minister.

"Yay! I'm so hungry!" Drake smiled at Vivi, who could barely peer over the table. He got a chair after a moment, and Drake smiled at the servant who had gotten it for him. The regent also got a chair so that he could reach the food.

"The Festival of the Hunt feast is one of our oldest traditions. It began well over five centuries ago. It is customary to eat everything with your hands, so go on, before it gets cold." Drake scanned over the food in front of him.

There were some greens of some sort, and it looked like there were Gyshal pickles...There was a turkey in the middle of the table, though maybe that was actually a young Chocobo? Needless to say, that thought put him off of that dish. There were some sweets, and bread...Some sort of mysterious meat that was rolled up with some sort of stuffing...a few kinds of fish...It really was a feast.

"Thank you, Uncle." Garnet sounded a little too sweet to Drake, but it seemed that he was the only one that had noticed. Cid, Vivi, and Steiner immediately started to eat. Freya was looking at the food dispassionately, and Drake noticed that Zidane was trying to look like he wasn't staring at Garnet. Garnet meanwhile was watching all of them. Drake turned his attention to the food in front of him, trying to decide what he could stomach. He wasn't about to try to avoid the sleeping weed.

"Let's just eat. We can't do anything until the gate opens." Drake settled on a piece of bread as Zidane gave Freya some advice, and started to munch on it. Starch would stay in his stomach better if he found his gut rebelling later.

"...You're right." Drake found himself feeling a bit better for having some food in him, and reached for a slice of the meat roll. He bit into it, holding it over the plate that had been set for him to catch bits of stuffing, if they fell. It really tasted quite good. Not too spicy, though it was still a bit odd to him, tasting things that had so many spices and herbs shoved into it. He kinda missed bland food.

"Hey, not bad!" Zidane at least liked the food. Drake eyed a Gyshal pickle, and decided that it would not be a wise choice, resisting the urge to lick off his fingers. He reached for a small cake, and grinned sheepishly at Zidane, who noticed. "Indulging your sweet tooth already, Drake?" The two of them chuckled, and Drake bit into the small cake.

"Mm! What kind of fruit is this?" Drake examined the half of the delicacy that wasn't in his mouth. It had layers, and it looked like it was filled with jam.

"This is wonderful! Princess, how is everything?" Drake glanced at the young woman over the table, and blinked as he realized she still hadn't touched anything. He blinked again as he realized her eyes were on him. What? It wasn't like he was the only one at the table she didn't know the food preferences of. She knew Drake better than she knew Freya. Steiner noticed that the princess wasn't eating and turned to look at her, a slightly concerned look on his face. "Why aren't you eating?" The princess jumped a little, as if coming out of her thoughts, and smiled slightly at Steiner.

"Oh...I'm sorry." The young woman reached for a piece of bread, as Drake had, and started to munch on it as the archer paid more attention to his food. "You're right, everything is so delicious." Drake noted that the princess stuck to the bread, though.

"Indeed it is. Especially the beef. It is superb!" Drake noticed that Steiner gestured towards his share of the meat roll. Ah, so that's what it was. No wonder the meat didn't have any odd flavor that he couldn't recognize, beyond the spices.

They all ate for a while yet, Drake finally deciding to try the poultry, and found that it was simply chicken. He was a little surprised at that, but was glad that it wasn't Chocobo. Zidane handed Drake something that the archer regarded oddly for a moment, before nibbling it a little.

"What is this?" The thief chuckled around his bite of fish. Vivi and the rest were still munching away, though Drake noticed that Garnet was nibbling on a little cake very similar to the one he had chosen earlier. Had he really chosen things that didn't have sleeping weed in them at first? No wonder Garnet had been staring at him.

"It's a sweet that some of the shops in the Theater District have been selling. They call it chocolate." Drake lifted an eyebrow at that. He couldn't really recognize the flavor, as it was slightly bitter, and there were fruit juice mixed in. Still, it was decent enough. He decided to savor it, and looked at the others.

Vivi was starting to look a little tired, his eyes starting to droop. Were they all going to fall asleep soon? Drake really wasn't feeling much different from how he normally did after a good meal...

"Oh, I'm so full. I'm getting sleepy now..." As if Vivi's statement was the trigger, Drake suddenly felt the sleeping weed take effect, and had to sit suddenly, grabbing the table so he didn't fall flat on his back.

"What the-"

"Dagger...?"

The world went dark for Drake as his eyes drifted closed like a lead balloon, feeling Vivi tumble from his chair to land on him, falling back to the floor behind him.

~~.~~.~~.~~.~~

"Drake, wake up!" A slight kick to his side rouse Drake, and he groaned as he opened his eyes. A slightly worried Zidane was standing over him, and offered him a hand to help him up, which the archer took, using his other hand to reach for the back of his head.

"Ow. I think I hit my head when I passed out." Sure enough, there was a bump on the back of his head. Freya smiled slightly, glad that I was alright. She had apparently been awake enough to see when Drake had passed out.

"Glad you're alright other than that. Let's get going." Drake nodded and walked to where he had left his three quivers and his bow. He blinked, a little startled at the medium-sized pouch sitting next to them.

"That pouch holds your reward, Drake. The pouch is a bit extra. It's spelled to hold as much as you need, and will bring to your hand whatever it is you need, if it's in there." Drake's eyebrows went up as he attacked the pouch to the back of his left hip.

"Thank you, Regent. It will most definitely come in handy." The archer bowed to the oglop, feeling ridiculous for doing so once again. The bag really was a couple of pounds. It was odd to feel something so soft and small so heavy.

The four of them headed out of the dining room and went to the lift, where Zidane set their destination for the lowest level. Drake's eyebrows went up as he saw the level. The air was slightly hazy with the Mist, though there were no monsters here. As Drake and Vivi looked around, Freya and Zidane led them to a trolley that took them to the Dragon's Gate. They were quiet the whole time, and Drake figured that Freya was so because she was so worried.

"Hey Drake..." The archer blinked and looked at Freya. She was looking at him semi-suspiciously. "Why exactly did you decide to come, anyway?" Drake smiled a little sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "I know it wasn't simply because my people need help." Zidane looked between Drake and Freya, wisely keeping his mouth shut.

"Ah...Anastasia headed towards Burmecia just before the feast." Zidane's eyes widened, as he understood. "I'm worried about her. I'm worried about Dagger, too, though I figure that with that soldier, she should be safe. I don't know anything about Anastasia's fighting abilities, or who, if anyone, she was traveling with." Zidane chuckled.

"All this worry about a woman you deny you've fallen for." Drake shot Zidane a dirty look, which made Freya chuckle. Really, he was relieved that he had an excuse like this. He would have come with them no matter what, but with Anastasia, he had an excuse that they would believe without questioning. Even though he still knew that it wasn't that he loved Anastasia. He simply saw so much of Cass in her.

The trolley arrived at the gate, and Drake blinked as he saw the massive doors...and the little one that was open right in the middle of them. The soldiers that were nervously standing guard at that little door jumped as the quartet appeared. A merchant had heard of them, and was waiting with some wares that they would surely need. Freya moved to speak with the merchant as the other three waited for her to be done.

Once Freya was done, Drake and Vivi each got several vials of various restorative potions. The majority of Drake's were eye drops, to make sure that he was able to fight, while Vivi got several vials of echo herb concentrate, which most people simply called echo screens. Zidane and Freya both had several cure-all antidotes, and Freya handed the theif some slips of paper that Drake recognized as being tent tickets. A few bundles of soft phoenix feathers and several normal healing potions were distributed to the whole party, and they were off.

Drake sighed as they left the safety of the gate, the door creaking closed behind them. Vivi's nervousness increased as Drake took off the cap of the quiver on his back and took his bow into his left hand, ready to fight at a moment's notice. Freya noticed this readiness and nodded in agreement. They couldn't be too careful at the moment.

Zidane paused for a moment, squinting at the map in the dimming light. The others looked at him expectantly, and the monkey-tailed man soon put it away and started to head in a particular direction. Drake thought as he walked, trying to figure out where they were headed by using the map he had in his head. Hrm. This way was...the Chocobo's forest. He didn't care what others said about him, Drake was NOT going to be riding a chocobo. He didn't care if he had to run to keep up with the others.

There were surprisingly few monsters that dared to attack them. Drake figured that either they were frightening them off with the fact that they all were ready to fight instantly, or that many of them had recently been wiped out. He wouldn't be surprised if most of the monsters that were used in the Festival of the Hunt were from these plains.

"It's getting darker now. Should we stop?" Drake blinked as he looked to the others. He'd been in his thoughts for a while, but not terribly long. How long had they been out? The festival had started about an hour after noon...and had lasted for two hours...

"...Just how long were we out?" The others blinked back at Drake, a little startled. He'd been silent for a good long while, after all.

"Um. I think maybe an hour? The servant that managed to finally wake me up seemed pretty frantic." Drake blinked. The others had been woken by servants? Why'd they just let them lay there? "She was pretty cute, now that I think about it..." Zidane got whacked on the head by Freya, who was rolling her eyes.

"And here I thought you were falling for the princess, by how you talked of her earlier. I must have been mistaken." Drake smiled at the dry tone in the dragoon's voice. Vivi was just blinking as he looked up at the three people he had been traveling with. Drake noticed the slightly confused gleam in his eyes, and gently pushed the brim of his hat down over them, getting a soft complaint for the action.

"Anyway. Anyone think we should stop?" Drake tilted his head to the side and popped his neck as he thought about it. He was a little tired, and pretty sure that he wouldn't be able to fire his bow much anytime soon. Not with the dull ache in his shoulder and upper arm.

"I do." All eyes turned to the archer at his statement. He had looped his bow onto his back and was rubbing his right shoulder. "I may be strong, but the festival really strained how many times I can shoot this bow of mine in a day." Zidane and Freya nodded their understanding as Vivi finally got his hat to where he wanted it again.

"Alrighty, then." Zidane pulled a flute from the back of his belt and started to play it. Drake stared at the instrument, a little bemused. He'd never seen a Moogle Flute before, after all, though he'd heard of them. And the music...

'I don't really recognize that music... Hunh.' A distant sound made them all look, and there was a moogle, riding on top of a chocobo with several bags attached to the sides of the saddle.

"Hi, kupo! I'm Moguo's little sister, Migren! I'm the moogle in charge of the plains from here to Gizamaluke's Grotto!" Drake couldn't help but stare at the small moogle. She was so...peppy. And the pom-pom on her head was pink. Zidane didn't seem to be surprised at all, and smiled at the small moogle.

"Hi, Migren. We wanna trade a ticket for a tent." The happy-go-lucky moogle bounced over the chocobo's head, and landed in front of them, still smiling.

"Okay! I've wood for a fire as well, if you want one!" The four travelers looked to each other. Drake was sort of torn between wanting one and not wanting one. It would be nice to be warm, as the Mist sapped away all the warmth, but they couldn't really risk being seen...

"No, just a tent is fine. Maybe next time." The perky moogle nodded in understanding, and the chocobo sat down to let her take out the tent for humans. Drake helped her to set it up as Freya and Zidane discussed the map. Vivi was already asleep on the ground, wiped out from the day's events.

As soon as the tent was up, Drake gently moved Vivi into it, and then sat outside of it, pulling out a few of the feathers he'd won as a prize. He didn't have the resources needed to do some fletching at the moment, but he could at least have something to look at.

Some of the feathers were from Trick Sparrows, which were really pretty good, while others he didn't recognize. There were a few pigeon feathers mixed in, which, while not exactly the best material for fletching, were acceptable. He would be using those first.

A thought came to him, and he reached into his vest to pull out the metal feather he'd gotten from the airship captain. It sat heavy in his palm; he could feel it. However, it didn't look like it weighed much at all. And what was more interesting was that he had the niggling idea that something had changed as soon as it had been put into his hand. With a shrug, Drake put all of the feathers, including the metal one, into the enchanted pouch. He was honestly surprised that the regent had given it to him, considering how expensive they were. It wasn't like some noble would fork over a lot of Gil to buy one, though. They were really only useful to travelers.

"You're not gonna sleep?" Drake twitched as he was addressed, and turned his eyes to Freya, who, it seemed, was on guard duty. "You've got the last watch, by the way. You looked like you were lost in your own head when Zidane and I were discussing it." Drake nodded, and stood.

"I was just sorting out a few thoughts. See you in the morning." Freya nodded and turned back to watch duty as Drake ducked through the flap of the tent, being careful to not step on any of the three figures in there. It seemed that Migren had decided it would be best to sleep with them instead of in her own tent. Drake had pulled off his bow before entering the tent, and he set it alongside the back wall along with his three quivers. He set his enchanted pouch down and used it as a pillow, feeling sleep take him surprisingly quickly.

~~.~~.~~.~~.~~

Drake woke up to something fluffy poking his face, and grumbled as he swatted at it. A few pokes later, and he was awake enough to open his eyes and glare sleepily at Zidane, who was grinning at him. That grin of his faded quickly, though, as Drake grabbed his tail.

"Okay, okay, jeez." Drake let go of his tail and grabbed his bow and one of his quivers before attaching his pouch to his belt once again. The archer then went out into the dark of the world outside of the comfortable tent, and shook his head to wake himself up more.

The morning approached far quicker than Drake had expected it to, and he almost suspected Zidane of letting him sleep in. He didn't really see why the thief would do that, though. Just because he'd been reaching his limit the day before didn't mean that he needed extra rest. He'd slept in more than enough all through his life.

"Morning." Drake turned his head to look at Freya as she emerged from the tent and started to stretch. She wasn't wearing her hat, which made Drake lift an eyebrow, but he quickly looked away. He had a feeling that they weren't going to have many hot meals for a long time, so his stomach was grieving it. He didn't realize just how spoiled he was. Ah, well.

"Zidane have any clue where we're actually headed?" Drake noticed Freya pause in the middle of a stretch, and heard her chuckle. Looks like he had guessed right.

"No, actually. But since we don't have any landmarks to tell us which way is which anymore, there really isn't much use for complaining." Drake smirked a little, and tilted his head to the side. Instead of a pop like he'd gotten used to hearing, he merely felt the muscles in his neck relax. It was interesting, but a nice change, since they were trying to avoid notice.

"So, when should we get going? After Zidane has a nice nap?" Freya blinked at Drake. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, because he hadn't ever seen someone with that expression on their face before.

"I suppose so. I hope Vivi didn't mind that we let him sleep through the whole night. Of us all, he's the one that needs it the most. Magic takes more mental strain than our way of fighting does." Drake nodded. He knew that much, considering that last he tried to put his mana into his arrows for an attack, he got knocked out. "Here." Drake turned and blinked as he saw that Freya was offering him some dried meat.

The two of them munched on their breakfast rations as they waited for the others to wake up. Zidane was woken up by Migren, which really wasn't much of a surprise to Drake, and the archer and the dragoon had a couple of chuckles at the monkey's expense. Vivi got a nicer wake-up call, as Drake nudged him a few times to get him up.

Zidane helped Migren to pack up the tent, grumbling under his breath about something or other. Freya was keeping an eye on Vivi so that he didn't fall asleep again, and Drake was keeping an eye out for monsters. He sort of wished that they had anti-monster charms, but they didn't really last longer than a couple of days once activated, so the ones he'd been given by Cinna were all worn out already. They were pretty expensive, too. The ones that they'd had had been stolen from other people.

"Bye, you guys! Have a safe trip!" All four of them waved to Migren, Drake hiding the fact that he'd been caught by surprise. Zidane looked towards the sky, and Drake glanced up as well. He marked which direction was which by the hazy orb of light that was the sun. As they started to walk again, Drake was relieved to see that Zidane was heading straight for the marshes, instead of the chocobo forest.

"Hm. It'd go faster..." Drake's ear twitched as he heard Zidane muttering. What would go faster? And why was he fingering the Moogle Flute? "Hang on a sec, guys." They all stopped and looked to Zidane as he pulled the flute out and started to play a familiar upbeat tune.

'The chocobo melody? Why's he playing that?' The wark of a chocobo made the archer turn and peer through the Mist at the yellow blob that was swiftly approaching them. '...A chocobo? Zidane's met Choco already, then?'

Vivi's eyes got wider as the chocobo stopped in front of them, and Zidane put the flute away to pet the large bird fondly. Drake merely shifted slightly. He wasn't terribly fond of birds, nor did he like riding anything that wasn't mechanical.

"Guys, meet Choco. I became friends with him a while ago. Choco, could you do us a favor and carry Vivi? We need to get somewhere pretty fast." As he spoke, Zidane gestured towards the little Black mage, who was staring in fascination at the bird. And for some odd reason, Drake started to feel an itch in his nose. He couldn't possibly be allergic to chocobos, he'd never had a reaction to feathers before. And yet he felt a sneeze coming. Maybe someone was talking about him? That was more likely.

The giant bird nodded, and walked over to greet Vivi just as Drake sneezed. Everyone jumped, and looked at the archer, who was blushing with a hand over his nose and mouth.

"Sorry. Don't know why that just happened." Zidane started to laugh at his friend, who merely blushed harder and looked away from everyone. The laughter faded a bit, and Drake glanced at the others, who were also looking away from the group.

"It's been far too calm," Freya murmured. "Have the monsters all been frightened away?" Drake was relieved that he wasn't the only one to have noticed the lack of monsters. It was pretty worrisome.

"...We really do need to hurry up," Drake murmured. Maybe they'd be able to pass by the marsh? That would be nice. Drake and Zidane both helped Vivi up onto Choco's back, silently agreeing that Drake would walk next to the bird to make sure the young black mage didn't fall off.

Pretty soon, Drake felt his boots starting to sink into the ground with each step. He paused for a moment to shake them off, and looked up to see Zidane and Freya looking back at him.

"Hm. Maybe you two should stay here." Drake frowned and shook his head to Zidane's sentence.

"Leave the two ranged fighters alone? Bad idea. How about Freya stays with Vivi, and you and I go on?" Drake had an idea that they were going to go and ask for directions. And maybe recruit a new party member. Freya nodded, showing that she agreed with Drake's idea, and moved to Vivi's side. Drake trotted a bit to catch up to Zidane, and was relieved when they found the wooden walkway.

"Looks like this swamp is habited." Drake nodded, hearing all sorts of odd noises from the marsh creatures. It was a welcome sound after the silence of the plains. He had his bow at the ready, but he was hoping he wouldn't have to use it. There was a dull ache in his right shoulder, after all.

Zidane walked right past a couple of moogles that would have gladly told them where to go, and Drake rolled his eyes. He probably hadn't seen them, though how that was possible with the bright red pom-poms was beyond him. Maybe he was color-blind? That was an interesting thought.

The two of them wove through the tall grass, Drake staying close to Zidane so they wouldn't get lost. In a moment, they were out of the tall grass, and looking at a rather stinky pond with a bridge over the middle of it. There was a Qu wandering around looking rather hungrily at the frogs that were swimming and hopping about tauntingly.

"Wow, that's a lot of frogs." Drake's eyebrows were up. The last time he'd seen so many frogs was when he was in a pet shop, on a date with Cass. They'd been there to look at kittens.

"Yeah." Zidane crouched and caught a frog that had, strangely enough, hopped right up to him. The amphibian squirmed in Zidane's gloved hands, but didn't get free. The Qu seemed to sense that there was one of its treats trapped, and rushed over.

"You got frog! Frogs very good! Mmmm!" Zidane gave the Qu a slightly creeped out look. Drake didn't blame him. The last Qu they had met had been quite testy.

"Who the heck are you?" The Qu's eternal smile seemed odd as it tilted its head to the side.

"Me? Me Quina Quen." Drake blinked at the name. He had never remembered what Quina's last name was, and, now that he had heard it, he wondered what it meant. Zidane nodded, accepting the introduction.

"Quina, do you want this frog?" The monkey-tailed man held up the frog, which was squirming more, as if it sensed that a predator that greatly enjoyed frog meat was near.

"Yes, yes!" Zidane rearranged the frog in his hands and shoved it towards the Qu, which grabbed it and swallowed it with a cheer. Drake took a step back as Zidane looked for something to wipe the frog slime off on.

"You pathetic, Quina. Can't even feed yourself." Drake blinked at the surprisingly fluent speech, and looked towards where Quale was. He couldn't help but wince at the odd mixture of pink that the Qu was wearing. "Travelers, thank you. Come, please." Drake and Zidane looked at each other for a moment, and Drake noticed that the thief had decided to wipe his hands off on an already dirty handkerchief. They shrugged at the same time and walked off after the Qu.

Drake was a bit surprised at how well built Quale's hut was. It didn't look at all like it was in danger of rotting, which he used to swear it would be about to do when he was playing the game. It was possible to see the thatch from inside, but other than that, it was actually a very cozy seeming room, if you discounted the oversized utensils that lined the walls.

"Can't master art of eating just chasing frogs, Quina." Drake turned his eyes from the decorations to the two Qus.

"But Master, frogs very good!" Drake idly wondered if Quina would ever learn to speak English that wasn't so broken. "Frogs here best! Better than Alexandria's."

"Quina, you in darkness. Need some light. World big place. Many many foods. Alexandria just one kingdom. You need go out more, eat other food." Quina looked a little skeptical at this.

"Go out into world...? Sound scary. Are there yummier frogs outside?" Drake suppressed an eye twitch. He had never been fond of eating small creatures that could be kept as pets.

"Of course! Many good frogs! All Qus love frogs best. Eating frogs is key to growth." Quale threw a small fit, and Drake was glad that he hadn't had a weapon in his hands. The poor Qu seemed to be at its wits end with Quina. Wait, did Drake just call Quale a 'he'? Ah, well. "Qu marshes exist all over world. Go eat frogs in other marshes. I promise, you get much learning." The Qu turned to look at Drake and Zidane, who had simply been standing to the side, watching the two argue. "Travelers, please show Quina the world. Anywhere with food good."

Drake and Zidane looked at each other. Drake shrugged, showing that he couldn't think of an excuse for the Qu to not travel with them, and Zidane looked like he was sighing mentally.

"Sure, why not." Quina turned to look at the two of them, and Drake made a mental note to avoid standing terribly close to it in the future, noticing its eyes focusing on the feathers of his arrows.

"Will I find yummier frogs outside?" Drake scratched at the back of his head.

"There's plenty of stuff in the world that tastes better than frogs." Zidane glanced at Drake, his eyes thanking him for the save. Drake couldn't help but smirk. It was just the exact same statement Zidane had said in the game.

"Really, really?! Okay, I go with you!" Drake lifted an eyebrow at that. That was a very easy way to get Quina to agree. The other two were also speechless for a moment. The three left the hut and headed towards where they had left Freya and Quina.

Drake waved to the dragoon and the black mage as they finally spotted them, but then paused. "Hang on a sec, Zidane, I think I saw some moogles around here earlier. I'm gonna ask them to point the way to Burmecia." The monkey-tailed man blinked at Drake, but nodded, and walked towards Freya and Vivi with Quina in tow.

"Kupo! You're traveling with Quina?" Drake looked down and saw the younger of the two moogles. He crouched down so that he was on its level, and smiled.

"Yep. Do you know which direction Gizamaluke's Grotto is?" The tiny moogle thought for a moment, and then turned to point. "Alright, thanks! You take care." The moogle nodded, and waved to Drake as he headed towards the others. He noticed the odd look that Vivi was giving Quina, and noticed the confused look on Zidane's face.

"You get directions, Drake?" The archer nodded, and pointed. "Other side of the marsh, huh...Well, we might as well get going." They headed off, Freya staying near Vivi for the time being, as much to keep an eye on the young black mage as to protect Choco from Quina. Zidane and Drake acted as point, walking a fair distance ahead of the rest to keep a sharper eye out for monsters. "...Vivi's grandpa was apparently a Qu."

Drake pretended to act surprised at this. Vivi was one of his favorite characters, of course he had dug up as much information about his past as possible. "He was adopted, then?" Zidane tilted his head to the side, showing he wasn't sure.

"The kid's got no family left, and he keeps his mouth shut about anything pertaining to it. I could only tell that what his grandpa was because he asked Quina if he knew anyone named Quan." Drake tilted his head to the side. In the game, Vivi had asked the question of Quale, and had gotten a mixed answer.

"Eh. Woah! Monster dead ahead!" Drake pulled an arrow from his quiver and nocked it as the three trailing behind trotted to catch up. A pink dragon creature swooped down out of the Mist above them to hiss at Drake. "Gee, it doesn't like me. Wonder if it's cause of my name?" Zidane laughed as Drake took aim, pulling out his daggers as Freya started to flank the creature. Quina didn't have the sense to do so, and charged up next to Zidane. Drake cast about in his memory for the name of this thing.

"Ironite! Master Quale say these taste good!" Drake loosed his arrow as Quina exclaimed, answering the question that he'd had. The projectile bounced off of its scales, and Drake grumbled under his breath.

"Stay back a bit, Drake. Let us handle this one." Drake was irritated, but nodded to Freya's command, and stepped back to stand by Choco. Vivi had dismounted on his own and was pulling up a magic spell.

"Stupid dragon imitation with stupid thick skin..." Drake was not a happy camper. Ironites looked like they'd be soft, so he hadn't been expecting his arrow to bounce right off. Then again, something with the word 'iron' in the name had to have something about it similar.

Vivi struck the Ironite with a fire spell, and Drake lifted an eyebrow. The kid had been getting some practice in; the last time Drake had seen him cast that spell, it had accidentally caught Princess Garnet on fire. Now it went exactly where he wanted it to, and seemed to be stronger than it had been before. Zidane dodged one of its wings, and sliced at it, his blade barely digging into it. Freya dropped from where she had been in the sky, spear-first, and this was the first blow that did any substantial damage to the beast. Quina darted in and stabbed it in the side with its fork, which surprisingly parted the scales quite easily. The Ironite flailed a bit, but was stopped as Zidane stabbed its head, as it had been paying attention more towards the two that had injured it so severely. Drake gently took Choco's reigns and led the now skittish bird towards the corpse.

"Geez, those things are tough." Drake stopped as he saw the look in Quina's eyes. "Ah, Quina, you aren't about to..." The archer trailed off as the Qu bit into the Ironite's arm. The others had turned to see what Drake had noticed, and, like him, had rather disgusted looks on their faces. Drake had to turn all the way around and cover his ears just to keep from losing what little food he had in his stomach.

Zidane tapped the archer on the shoulder when Quina was done, and had an amused look on his face. Vivi was looking rather ill, on top of Choco already, and Freya had a rather bland look on her face, as if she was no longer fazed by Quina's eating habits.

"You don't get airsick, and yet you have such a weak stomach." Drake whacked Zidane in the arm, and they headed out again. He ignored his friend as Zidane continued to poke fun at him. He merely concentrated on making sure that they were heading the right direction.

After a while, lunch rations were handed out to everyone but Quina, who had stuffed itself on the Ironite. It was as he was chewing that Drake spotted the first of the roots that led the way to Gizamaluke's Grotto. He nudged Zidane, as his mouth was still full, and pointed at the object.

"...Wow, I really wasn't expecting them to be so big! That's gotta be the size of the Prima Vista's hull!" Drake nodded, remembering what this root belonged to. The Iifa Tree, all the way on the Outer Continent spread its roots all across the world. This was one of them. Was there any way for this to end without these roots going wild and destroying things?

A whack on the back of his head told Drake that he'd stopped walking as he thought, and he sent a slight glare to Freya, who was now walking alongside him. She was wearing gauntlets, for pity's sake!

"We should be able to get to the Grotto by nightfall, if we rush. We'll set up camp in a while so that we have more time to get through it if it's been attacked as well." Drake nodded to Zidane's announcement from the monkey's position on point. The archer wasn't looking forwards to this. So many dead bodies, and they'd be marred by magic...he'd heard that the smell of burning flesh remained long after the source was gone, and he didn't really want to find out.

"You alright?" Drake blinked at the concern that Freya had for him. "You looked like you were going to be sick when that soldier first arrived, and yet you still decided to come with? Is she really that important to you?" Drake kept his mouth shut for a while, even after he had given up on getting his jerked meat any softer and swallowed it with a slight wince.

"She's...I really don't know. There's just something that tells me that I need to come with. I really don't know how to describe it." Drake shook his head as he spoke. To tell the truth, he really was confused when it came to Anastasia. She acted so much like Cass, but there was something a bit off about her, he figured out once he was away from her. The kindness that she'd shown had been genuine, but...He couldn't put his finger on what about her was troubling him.

After several more hours of walking, they finally stopped, and Zidane played the Moogle's Flute again, summoning Migren. She didn't seem as perky as normal, though.

"Kupo! Hello again." Drake blinked at Migren. Had she simply had sugar the last time that they saw her? "I'm sorry I'm a little out of it now. I just got word that something very awful happened in Burmecia!" Drake frowned, but he understood now. As much as he knew what he was walking into, he really didn't.

"Knowing is only half of it. Experiencing it is the half that counts." Drake blinked at Zidane in surprise as the phrase came from him. "That was a pretty insightful comment you made, Drake. You know what it is we're heading towards, and yet you know that you aren't prepared...that none of us are prepared." Drake tilted his head down to look at his hands as Freya helped Migren to put up the tent.

A couple of years ago, the only callus on his hands had been from holding a pencil. Now, though, he had calluses from holding back the string of his bow on his fingers, from the belt knife that he rarely used as a weapon, and from holding his bow. He had changed a great deal, and yet, in some regards, he hadn't changed at all. He was better at acting than he used to be, and far more fit. He was more aware of what was going on, but he was just as bad at reading into the people around him. He was still relying on what he knew from the game.

"Drake. You're more tired than the rest of us. Go to bed." The archer blinked up at Zidane as the monkey-tailed man crouched in front of him. He opened his mouth to tell Zidane that he wasn't, and his friend shook his head. "You're moving slower than you were yesterday, and I know it isn't just because Anastasia isn't around. Your arm was shaking as you drew the bowstring back earlier, when we were fighting the Ironite. You need to let it heal, and for that, you need a good night's rest."

Drake sighed and scratched at his head. His arm was still aching, after all. He was feeling a bit less energetic than he normally was, too. A tap on his good shoulder made Drake blink and look to Vivi.

"Mister Drake...You need sleep more than anyone else. Please rest?" Drake chuckled slightly and tapped the brim of Vivi's hat, finding himself to tired to pat the top.

"D'you remember what I said about calling me 'mister', Vivi?" The little black mage blinked at the fond tone, but Drake stood before he could answer. "Alright, I'm gonna go to sleep, then. Night." Drake waved a hand as he stepped into the tent, and found a corner to claim as his own.

His bow and quivers were laid alongside the edge of the tent, and Drake put his head on his pouch again, but he found it strangely hard to fall asleep. His mind kept returning to Anastasia, and her hasty departure. Granted that it was entirely possible that it was as simple as an appointment that she needed to keep for something like privileges, but he still had that same confusing feeling that it wasn't as it seemed. Or maybe he was just connecting what he knew was going to happen in Burmecia to his worry over Anastasia. That was entirely possible.

* * *

And that's chapter 4! Next chapter: Gizamaluke's Grotto! What secrets beyond the game wait there?! You'll have to check back and see! (Reveiws are nice. They make me want to update faster.)


	6. The Grotto

Dreylen: Welcome to the fifth chapter of To Have Loved and Lost!

Kuja: Finally, I have arrived! ~flicks hair~

Dreylen: ...Why are you here? ._.

Kuja: Why should I not? I make my debut appearance in this chapter.

Dreylen: No you don't. You show up in the next one.

Kuja: ...Well then, re-write it! Do not make me waste my time. I am your patron, after all.

Dreylen: I'm not getting paid for this. Therefore, I have no patron.

Kuja: What? I was told you owned the Final Fantasy franchise.

Dreylen: ~facepalm~ I don't. I never have, and never will. Now go away. My totem animal is a cat, not a fruit fly.

~.~*~.~*~.~*~.~*~.~

Chapter 5: The Grotto

Drake sighed as he looked up at the hazy sky as he munched on the dried meat, looking rather tired. He was sitting on the ground, waiting for the others to finish stretching and doing their morning things. He was feeling much better than he had the day before, only the barest hint of an ache left in his right shoulder. He was feeling much more able to fight. His dreams hadn't really been that restful, either. He couldn't even properly remember what it had been, either, but it hadn't left him rested.

"You feeling alright, Drake?" The archer looked over his shoulder at Zidane as the monkey-tailed man crouched next to him. "You still look crappy." The archer smirked at him.

"Bad dream. Can't remember it, but it wasn't too good for sleeping. My body feels fine, though." As if to emphasize it, he held out his arm and flexed his hand. "Trust me, I can shoulder my part of the fighting now." Zidane rolled his eyes, smirking at Drake's comment.

"That's a relief to us all, I believe." The two Lindblum residents looked to Freya, who was checking her spear, as much a habit to her as it was for Drake to check his bow. "We all were keeping the monsters away from you so you wouldn't really have to fight." Drake rolled his eyes and stood. Quina didn't understand the reasoning behind stretching in the morning, so they were all pretty ready to go.

"Well, let's get going." The rest nodded, and they waved to Migren as they headed off into the Mist. The young moogle waved to them solemnly, as if knowing what it was they were going to go do in Burmecia. She knew that was where they were heading, if just because of how close they were to Gizamaluke's Grotto. She only hoped that they stayed safe.

~~.~~.~~.~~.~~

Within a couple of hours, Drake started to see the rock wall that the grotto cut through above the Mist. There weren't even any traces of Mist monsters around, which merely served to make them more uneasy. Drake was the only one that sort of knew what they were going to find in the Grotto. And he wasn't looking forward to it.

In another hour, they were standing in front of the broken gates to the grotto, and Drake started to appreciate just how different it was. The marks he's seen in the game were nothing like what he saw. Soot was smeared all over the place, and the soldiers that were slumped by the broken tusk-like monoliths were burnt, the smell of their flesh permeating the area.

Freya immediately went to check on the two soldiers as Zidane merely gaped at the destruction. Drake and Vivi looked like they were having a hard time taking it all in.

"These blasts...They were made from this path, and not from very far away...Why would they wait so long to attack?" Drake shook his head, clearing it from the shock, and ran his bare hand down his face, taking in a shaky breath.

"Maybe they came from inside? This is the path between Burmecia and Lindblum. Alexandria would enter Burmecia using the North Gate." Zidane turned to look at Drake, understanding what the archer meant now.

"Why attack the grotto, then? Unless it were to delay any reinforcements coming from Lindblum..." Zidane looked up at the highest mark, a streak of black against the dirty grey of the stone. That was one fireball that had not hit its target. "Drake...Are you gonna be okay? We're gonna be fighting people." Drake closed his eyes. He knew that. He knew he was going to have trouble. He'd been told time and again as he was learning to fight that his heart was too kind, that he'd have a horrible time killing. But he needed to help.

"I...I don't know. But this needs to be done. And I'm not going to run away from it." Zidane nodded, still looking a little sad as he looked at his friend. Vivi had heard what Drake said despite the wavering in his voice, and looked somewhat inspired.

"The black mages! Who are they?!" The other three looked to Freya, and Vivi shuffled uncomfortably. Zidane glanced at him with a kind look in his eyes.

"It's okay. You didn't do anything." Freya, however, was not feeling as kind at the moment, and didn't have the same tact Zidane had.

"Vivi, aren't they your-" Drake cut off the Dragon Knight with a glare. Vivi didn't need this sort of pressure. He was only a kid. The woman got the hint just as she realized something. "The king might be in danger!" Drake had a surprised look on his face.

"And here I thought it would be obvious that he would be in danger. His country's being invaded, after all." Drake shook his head as he followed after Freya, who had darted into the grotto already. Zidane was right behind him, muttering that he hoped Dagger hadn't come to Burmecia. Footsteps behind the two of them announced that Vivi and Quina were following as well.

The door to the next area was already open, and Freya's tail was disappearing around its frame. As the four went to follow her, a sound came from the right. Drake glanced that way and yelped as he ducked behind Zidane, his eyes wide. The monkey-tailed man looked at what had caught Drake's attention, and swore, pulling out his knives.

"FIRE!" Vivi pointed his staff at the moving corpse, eliminating it before any of the others could do anything. Freya appeared at the door again, having heard their voices and wanting to make sure they were alright.

"What sort of magic created that," Drake asked, his eyes on the pile of ashes. Unless it wasn't magic at all and was the Mist? They had left the door open, after all, and the Mist was curling around them still.

"No one knows. I've heard that in ancient battles the corpses of both sides sometimes rose and continued to fight. There was no explanation to why, though." Drake nodded and looked to Zidane and Freya, signaling that he was ready to continue on. They nodded to him before starting to walk again.

Drake noticed with a start that they had fallen into a very easily defensible formation. Zidane was directly in front of Vivi and Drake, with Freya in the far front. Quina waddled along behind Drake and Vivi, to make sure that nothing attacked the two ranged fighters from the rear. Strong combat, close combat, ranged, and rear guard. They had made this formation without even really talking about it. Perhaps they would make it through after all.

The room that they entered after the corridor was in worse condition than the entranceway had been. The walls were almost black with soot, and the smell of burning bodies was thick enough that Drake gagged, falling to one knee. And he wasn't the only one reacting to the smell. Vivi was also shaking.

"Here." Drake looked up to see a yellow cloth in Freya's hand. "Tie it over your nose and mouth. You should have an easier time after doing so." Drake took the cloth and did as Freya instructed, moving almost mechanically. He noted distantly that it was actually a scarf, probably the sort that Torres made on occasion. He could smell the potions and such that the man used to infuse the scarf with power. It helped to clear his mind.

"...you're right. Thanks, Freya." The Dragon Knight nodded in response to Drake's thanks, and they continued on, Drake keeping his head tilted down slightly to make sure the scarf stayed over his nose. A fireball from the ramparts of the wall ahead of them made them all go on edge, however.

Drake pulled out an arrow and nocked it to his bow, spotting a steepled straw hat near where the fireball had been. Without really thinking about it, he released, the arrow flying through the air to sink through flesh. It was only when the body of the black mage fell that he realized what he had done.

"Nice shot, Drake!" Drake barely heard Zidane. He...had just killed someone. Granted that that black mage hadn't been aware of himself, but he could have become so, and ran away to join the other black mages in the village on the Outer Continent. "Drake? Hey!" A light slap to his face brought Drake back to reality. When had he sat down? And why was Zidane slightly scorched?

"I think he's in shock, Zidane." Drake blinked again. Freya and the others looked a bit beaten up as well. And he, he felt...numb. He knew he should be feeling some sort of emotion, but there just wasn't anything for him to feel.

"I'm...fine..." Freya shook her head as Zidane helped Drake to stand. Even Vivi and Quina looked concerned.

"No, you're not fine. But this really isn't the place for us to talk. Vivi, would you keep an eye on Drake, please?" The little black mage nodded, and they continued on. Zidane sent a last concerned look to the still shell-shocked Drake.

Another black mage 'puppet' appeared to try to kill them as they passed the indoor wall, and Freya and Zidane quickly took care of it, not needing any help from the others. Drake was still numb by that time, and hadn't realized that his scarf had fallen from his face and was pooled around his neck.

Freya noticed something moving up on top of the ramparts the black mage Drake had killed had been on, and jumped up there, exhibiting her inhuman skill in doing so. It was then that Drake noticed that all of the ceilings in this cave were incredibly high.

Freya returned with a strange bell, which she showed to Zidane, along with a metal-lined vest. The monkey-tailed man gestured towards Drake, and the archer blinked a little as the vest was shoved into his hands. It was made almost exactly like the vest he already had on.

"Just hold on to it for now, Drake. You can exchange it for the vest you have on when we find a relatively safer place." Drake nodded and folded the vest up before slipping it into his enchanted pouch. Amazing how he had gotten used to it already. "Freya, you take that bell and take the main door, I'll take the rest through that door to its right." The Dragon Knight nodded, and the group split up to do so.

Zidane rang the bell he had taken out of his belt pouch in front of the smaller door, and the heavy bell on the door started to ring as well. Drake and Vivi both flinched as the bell Zidane was holding shattered, leaving him with nothing but the wooden handle it had been attached to. Zidane looked at the wooden rod, frowning.

"The Mist must be affecting the magical pressure. It wasn't supposed to do that..." Drake blinked. Mentally, he reached for his mana, and found it came to him readily. It wasn't that he suddenly had more of it, it just responded to him better.

Drake and Zidane had to suddenly duck as several bugs flew through the now-open door. A quick fireball from Vivi scorched them and sent them crashing to the floor, though, where they wriggled and writhed before dying pitifully. Drake eyed them warily.

"Big bugs. I don't suppose they're supposed to be here?" Zidane shook his head, also eyeing the bugs warily. "By the way, Vivi, did you burn their wings?" The little black mage nodded, adjusting his hat shyly. "Explains why they fell so quickly." Zidane nodded and gestured for them to follow as he led the way through the door, his eyes darting about.

Drake was starting to feel again, even though it was just a hint of regret and guilt. It was really weird, feeling this way. It was like nothing really mattered. He wasn't terribly surprised by anything, and yet he knew in the back of his head that that was a bad thing. His reflexes were down, and that could spell his death if it wasn't for Zidane staying right by him to keep him safe. Heh. He was really starting to owe Zidane.

A few more bugs tried to attack them as they walked along the curving stairs. Had Drake been in his right mind, he probably would have been grumbling about the needless architecture. It went up, around the back of the room, then forwards and under the small bridge that Freya was currently fighting a zombie on. Vivi assisted her from a distance with a well-placed fireball.

Zidane gave Drake another concerned look as they reached the area where there was a fallen bell. Freya was already speaking to the very distressed moogle there. If he remembered right, she was newly married, and her husband was trapped under the bell. His eyes drifted up to look at where the bell used to hang, and blinked as he noticed there was a large black mark around it. A faint hint of anger came to him. A black mage had made a couple of harmless moogles miserable.

"Zidane, there's a moogle trapped under this bell." Drake blinked as he looked at the bell itself now. It really was a huge thing, easily as tall as he was. And, if he remembered something that Cass sometimes mentioned, the bigger the bell, the thicker the walls.

"There's no way we're gonna be able to move that." Even Drake blinked at the emotionless way his words came out. The moogle was giving him a really strange look. Zidane merely crouched so that he was on her level.

"He's still kinda in shock. He's not used to fighting people, and he killed one of those black mages earlier," Drake heard Zidane confide to the small creature. "So don't mind him, kay? He is right, though, we won't be able to move this bell."

"No!!" The moogle paused in her grieving, her red nose twitching. She darted over to Vivi, as Drake figured she would, and sniffed him. "Oh! Oh!!! Wait...Yeah, it's you! I know you! I know you! I know you! Um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um!" Drake blinked. Even in his dazed state, he was confused by how fast the moogle was speaking. "Hey, hey hey!!! You have Kupo Nut?"

Ah, that's right. Vivi bought one in Lindblum. He probably bought it after Drake left the store with all the potions Torres used on his bow. The archer watched, still a little dazed, as Vivi handed over the moogle's treat and stared as the moogle under the bell managed to free itself. The pair ran over to the room on the right side of the bell, and Zidane looked to the rest before following them. Drake glanced at the large bell, remembering that in the game there had been another Gizamaluke Bell with the male moogle. It seemed that it wasn't needed here, though, as the remains of a bell the moogles had used earlier lay by the opened door.

"No monsters here. Should be safe. Drake, c'mere." The archer blinked at Zidane as he was dragged into the room. Freya closed the door behind them, making sure that it didn't lock again. Drake was pushed into a sitting position by Zidane, who sat in front of him, a concerned look on his face. "How're you holding up?" Drake blinked.

"I'm...kinda numb, actually." This made Zidane frown. "Everything feels...distant." Drake ran a hand over his face, sighing.

"Battle shock, then. Well, we'll get through here quickly, and hope that you recover by the time we get to Burmecia. Just rest for now." Drake nodded and let his head tilt back to rest on the wall behind him. He closed his eyes and listened to Zidane and Freya talking.

"Didn't think that he'd react so strongly. Maybe we shouldn't have allowed him to come along with." Understandable. Freya was concerned about her country, and didn't want to be slowed down by someone recovering from killing a person for the first time.

"He's a brother. I've known him for two years by now. I knew he'd have a hard time with it, but I really hope he snaps out of it soon. He's always concerned about other people. Why he makes such a good archer." Trust Zidane to understand. Or did he, really? Drake wasn't sure he understood himself at the moment.

"You trust him after two years? You've known people who turned against you who were friendly longer than that."

"He's not like that. He's too honest." Honest? Boy, Zidane was gonna be pissed when he found out, then. Drake lied, so much. "He hides a few things, yeah, but he's the most honest person I know, especially when it comes to the welfare of others. You heard him after the festival." Honest when it came to other people? Yeah, he supposed so.

"Maybe, but that doesn't change the fact that we really don't know much about him." A scoff from Zidane. And here came the biggest lie of them all.

"He's an amnesiac, Freya. Blank and I found him lying at the side of a street in Lindblum two years ago. He was barely conscious when we found him, and he spoke to us a little, asking after someone named Cass." ...Did he? Why didn't he remember this? Was this part of the gap he had in his memories? "After he woke up again, we asked him some questions. He reacted pretty badly to losing everything." He lost everything because he had been transplanted into a world he wasn't born in.

"...If that's the case, then why is he as he is now? Always optimistic. I've seen amnesiacs, Zidane. He doesn't seem like one." Freya had a point there. Though he hadn't been as optimistic when he'd first woken up surrounded by the Tantalus crew.

"I can answer that myself," he mumbled, opening an eye to look at Zidane and Freya. He had a slight smirk on his face, showing that he was starting to recover with the peace. "It's hard to not be an optimist with Zidane around. I dunno how Blank managed to stay a pessimist." Zidane chuckled a bit, but still looked concerned. Probably by how wiped Drake seemed when he had only taken out one enemy.

"Didn't I tell you to rest, Drake?" The archer chuckled slightly and closed his eyes again. Vivi moved over and sat against him, Drake moving his arm to make room for the boy. Within a minute, light snores started to come from the black mage, making Drake look down at him in disbelief.

"Kupo! Here, eat this." The archer blinked and looked to the male moogle, Moguta. He was offering him a fruit. "Humans like fruit better than Kupo Nuts, right? This will make you feel better." Drake smiled slightly and accepted the large berry.

Before eating it, he started to inspect it. It was a bright, vibrant red, and was covered in soft spikes. He remembered seeing this kind of berry once before. Cass had bought a couple for them to try. Those had been smaller than this one.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

"Here!" Kole blinked as he jerked his head back enough to focus on the odd object hovering in front of his nose. He stared at it for a minute before hesitantly grabbing hold of it, expecting it to be sharp and hurt him. Instead, the tips of the thing were soft.

"...What is it?" Cass giggled slightly as she hopped over the back of the couch to sit next to him. He was immediately distracted by the fact that their arms were touching as she pulled a pocket knife out of one of the pockets of her cargo pants and started to cut at the spines.

"It's some kind of berry. I spotted it while shopping with Dad, and asked him to buy me a couple. Looks weird, doesn't it?" Kole couldn't help but smile slightly at her before giving the berry a wary look. "It's not poisonous. Here." Drake accepted the open pocketknife as Cass twisted the spines of her berry, revealing the clear and squishy inside. "This part here is what you eat." She struggled with the actual edible part for a moment before finally getting it free and popping it into her mouth. "Mm! It's good!"

Kole looked from Cass's smiling face to the berry he held and back again, before applying the pocketknife to the berry.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Drake blinked back to reality with a very worried moogle standing next to him apologizing. Zidane and Freya both looked a little worried, and Quina was eyeing the berry Drake held covetously.

"You don't have to apologize," the archer calmly told the moogle. "I was just...remembering something that happened over two years ago." Freya and Zidane looked to each other as Drake pulled out his belt knife and, without waking Vivi, started to cut open the berry.

"You've had one of those before?" Drake looked up as he popped the clear fruit into his mouth and chewed. The familiar taste spread through his mouth, actually making him feel better.

"Yeah. My girl made me try one once." He had actually forgotten about that, which was surprising. "I was pretty hesitant to." Drake actually chuckled, a wry smile on his face.

"...Ah. We were wondering, since you were simply staring at it." Drake gave Zidane a slight smile and looked down at Vivi, who was waking up from his nap. "Well, you feel good enough to continue on?" A slight shadow appeared in Drake's eyes as he remembered why he hadn't been feeling good. At least his emotions had returned to him. Remembering Cass's adorable determination to get him to eat various kinds of foods had assured that.

"Yeah. And I can fight...a bit. I wouldn't trust my mental state to too much fighting, though." Vivi stood, allowing the archer to do the same. He seemed to have snapped out of his daze, finally. Drake jumped a little as he remembered something, and pulled out the vest that Freya had found for him before removing much of the straps and such that covered his current vest. The moogle couple seemed to be fascinated by how many straps and such he actually wore to keep his archer's sleeve in place.

Once the new vest was on, he noticed that it was decidedly heavier than his old one. It wasn't entirely comfortable, but he figured he could handle it if it kept him from dying. He'd just wear his old vest in towns. He'd simply have to get used to drawing his bow slightly differently to keep the bow string from catching on the vest.

"You all ready to go now, Drake?" The archer smiled sheepishly at Zidane, who had been watching him mess with his gear. A few more adjustments to the empty and full quivers that sat at the back of his belt, and he was done, nodding to the one that was starting to act like their leader.

"Wait, kupo!" They all blinked and looked to Moguta, who was slipping behind a statue. He returned a moment later, carrying a bell that was easily half his size. Freya seemed astonished at its presence, though.

"Is that...the Holy Bell?" Moguta nodded and held out the bell to the Dragon Knight, who carefully took it. "I thank you. This will make our journey much faster." Drake blinked. Would it? He only knew the one way through the Grotto. "We'll be able to take the shortcut rather than the long way around. I thank you." Freya bowed to the small moogle, who merely smiled at her.

"Shortcut?" Freya glanced at Drake, who had tilted his head to the side slightly. He certainly was starting to at least act more like himself. Though Freya knew that was only because he had reminded himself that lacking in reflexes was an extremely bad idea in a battle zone.

"Master Gizamaluke's chamber leads from the center of the Grotto straight to the other side. Otherwise, we would have to climb that long staircase that surrounds the main room and take the door at the top." Drake blinked. He hadn't even noticed a door up there. "Come, I'll show you instead of speaking of it." Drake smiled slightly as Freya led the way out to the area with the fallen bell.

Again, the tactical layout of their group began again, though Freya paused and looked around as the sound of scales on stone echoed through the area. Drake quickly thought through the monsters that were in this room, and tried to figure out which had scales.

A strange snake-like creature slithered out from behind the bell, and Drake felt his face pale. A Lamia. Of all the monsters, why did it have to be this one!? He hated these things with a passion.

"What is that?" Even Freya didn't know, it seemed. The rest looked just as confused.

"It's...a Lamia. I don't remember where I've heard of them, but...They're said to be the descendents of a woman who lost all of her children and became a part snake monster out of grief. My guess is she eventually reproduced. The Lamia in the story, though, killed children." Vivi, standing next to Drake, whimpered slightly. The Lamia didn't even glance in his direction, though. "I get the feeling this one doesn't have the same goals, though." Freya and Zidane both glanced back at Drake, who was staring nervously at the pink and yellow snake-monster.

Alarm bells went off in Drake's head as he recognized the stance that the Lamia took, and took a step back as it waved its fan towards them. Pink and purple gaseous hearts surrounded the now-panicking archer, and he coughed, falling to a knee.

His mind started to feel a little fuzzy, and he looked up. He paused, his face showing shock for a moment. He stood and took a couple of steps towards the girl that he hadn't seen in the room a moment before, not even noticing that the Lamia had disappeared.

"...Cassandra?" Her name came to his tongue unbidden, and a growl came from his left, making the archer turn. The skeletal monster that he hadn't noticed next to him lunged towards the brunette, and Drake quickly stepped in the way, putting his bow onto his back and kicking at the blade the skeleton wielded. A second kick knocked the skeleton back towards its companions, and the man glared at them, settling himself firmly between his love and the danger that faced her. "Stay away from her!"

The skeletons seemed to understand, and hesitated. Two of them seemed to talk to each other, the one with the spear nodding to the one wielding two short blades, and Drake glanced back to Cass, who sent him a slightly worried look. Movement from the skeletons made Drake look back in time to see the one with the spear jump high into the air.

Immediately, Drake pulled his bow from his back along with an arrow, looking to shoot at the skeleton, but the one with dual blades drew his attention for a moment. Another well-placed kick to its skull sent it flying backwards to clatter on the ground. By that time, though, the skeleton with the spear had landed behind him, and a sharp pain to the back of his own skull sent him flat.

"Ngh...Ow..." Drake kept his eyes shut for a moment, and he heard chattering, but unlike the noises he'd heard before, they actually made sense.

"Ow! Dammit, he kicked my face!" Oops. Guess he was going to have to apologize to Zidane.

"You aren't bleeding, he didn't kick you very hard." Drake moved his hand to feel his own nose, the sharp ache there telling him he had hit the ground hard with it. Something warm and sticky smeared onto his fingers.

"I am, though." Drake pushed himself up, trying to stem the flow of blood coming from his nose. "Did you really have to hit me that hard, Freya?" The woman looked slightly apologetic, and offered the archer a handkerchief as Vivi and Quina started to attack the Lamia.

"It was either that or chance that you wouldn't snap out of it." Zidane moved to attack the Lamia after downing a potion, and Drake held the handkerchief to his nose. "Where did you learn unarmed combat, though? I've never seen anyone who wasn't trained move so fluidly from one kick to another." Drake blinked at the Burmecian over the stained cloth.

"Erm. I'm not sure." Really, he hadn't been trained. Well, unless watching martial artists constituted training. He was pretty sure that the chained kicks he had copied from someone. "I was just trying to push Zidane back. Didn't know who he was at the time..." Drake pulled the cloth from his nose and glanced at it to see that he had stopped bleeding. He then accepted his weapon from Freya, who had been holding it from him, and took aim at the creature that had started this mess.

Drake's arrow pierced the scales on the Lamia's chest, making it screech in pain. Freya jumped up into the sky, and Vivi stepped up next to Drake. The archer glanced down at the black mage, and smiled slightly. Quina was trying to stab the Lamia's tail with its fork, and missing each time. Zidane was currently on the Lamia's back, his daggers stabbed in past its scales. He jumped off in time for Freya to land where he had been, spear point first.

Drake ducked a swipe of the Lamia's dagger, and kicked it hard, propelling himself to a safe distance. Light glinted off of the gem that held the Lamia's feather up, and he stared at it for a moment while the others continued their assault on the troublesome beast. The gem flashed when the creature cured itself for the fifth time, and Drake got an idea. He pulled out an arrow and carefully aimed, falling into a mindset where he could almost predict where it was going to move.

Zidane noticed that Drake had stopped moving around, and looked towards him. Seeing the concentration on his face, he drew a mental line from the tip of the arrow to its target, and blinked. Freya landed, stabbing her spear into the Lamia's tail, pinning it down, and Drake loosed his arrow as Quina finally stabbed its tail as well. The pink-haired beast screeched and fell to the ground, twitching, the gem on its forehead shattered.

They all waited for a minute before dropping their guard. Zidane and Freya both looked pretty worn out, and Drake looked rather tired as well. Quina was busy eating the dead monster, and Vivi was sitting on the ground with his eyes closed. The archer took a knee next to the black mage.

"You alright?" Vivi opened his eyes to blink up at Drake.

"Y-yeah...I was really scared when you started to hurt Zidane, though." Drake chuckled a little, looking a little ashamed of himself. He was having a bit of a hard time figuring out how they would get through the battle with Gizamaluke when they had such a hard time with a simple Lamia.

"Ah...I'm kinda ashamed that I fell for that. It used some kind of spell on me, and made it look like someone else." Vivi blinked up at him.

"Cassandra, right?" Drake blinked over his shoulder at Zidane, who offered him a potion. "That was the name you said after getting hit by that spell. That your girl?" Drake downed the potion and pulled a face afterwards, like normal.

"Might be. I dunno where the name came from." Zidane looked a little confused, so Drake decided to elaborate. "The name came from somewhere, yeah, but I wasn't thinking straight at the moment. I talked before my mind registered what it was I was saying." The archer tapped the side of his head once as he explained, trying to figure out how to describe what had just happened. He really hadn't wanted to mention Cass's name just yet, mostly because of all the explanations it would take. "So I don't know who the name belongs to." Like heck he didn't.

"Hm. Well, tell me if you don't feel up to a fight. For all we know, there could be an enemy on the other side of that door." Drake nodded as Zidane went to talk to Freya, who had been hit pretty hard by the Lamia a couple of times. Zidane didn't know just how true his guess that they were gonna have another fight was. It was a good thing that Vivi still had most of his magic reserves.

"...There's gonna be another fight." Drake blinked down at the black mage. "I can feel it. That's why I didn't cast many spells against that Lamy-thing." Drake smiled slightly, smushing Vivi's hat a little.

"You feel it, too, then? It's annoying when your instincts are so often right." Vivi nodded, and stood, waddling over to Zidane and Freya. Drake looked up towards the ceiling for a moment, the smile on his face slipping. Of all the things that had to happen recently, he had to see Cass as he had last seen her, pudge and all. He was going to go crazy if this didn't stop happening. Being constantly reminded of the woman he loved while being unable to find her... "Life's so cruel..."

Drake walked over to join the others, Quina wiping the last of the Lamia's blood off of its face. Freya looked over the others, and nodded, seeing that they were all as well as could be expected. She stepped up to the door and rang the Holy Bell. Drake noticed the slightly deeper tone to it, despite the fact that it wasn't any larger than the other bells he'd heard here. He jumped a bit as he heard the sounds of bells coming from above, and looked up, his eyes widening. The bells that were hanging off the bit of ceiling that the stairs offered were ringing as well.

A sharp shattering sound made the archer look back to Freya, though. She was staring at the gilded rod in her hand with horror. Drake felt a chill run through his body, and felt the discharge of mana in his own. He noticed Vivi flinch next to him, and figured that the kid felt it much stronger than he had, as he was more used to using his mana than Drake was.

"...Such an ill omen..." Freya dropped the gilt rod and rushed into the next room, Zidane right behind her. Vivi and Drake glanced at each other before doing the same, hearing Quina's plodding footsteps behind them. Drake had never put it forth in his mind that the bells had never been supposed to break after being used. He, like every other person who had played the game, had simply assumed that that was what it was supposed to be like.

Drake couldn't help but gape at the room that they entered. Though it was rather destroyed, it still held beauty. Nothing was gilded, but Drake could still see the craftsmanship of the statues. Oddly enough, he recognized a couple of statues as Minotaur and Sacred from Final Fantasy 8. They were guarding the door on the other side of the room. Which was odd, because he didn't remember seeing them in the game.

Freya was kneeling next to a wounded soldier, and so the rest crowded around as well. Drake didn't hear much of the conversation she had with the man, except for the bit about Gizamaluke being controlled. He shivered at that part. The serpent was almost like a god to the Burmecians. How was he supposed to feel about fighting it? It seemed that his emotions had gone slightly numb again.

A loud splash made Drake jump. He looked towards the source of the sound, and slowly reached for his bow, his eyes scanning the water on both sides. Zidane and Freya positioned themselves in front of Drake and Vivi as the large shape hurled itself up onto the walkway in front of them. Quina waddled between the two of them, also acting as a guard for the two ranged fighters.

Gizamaluke hissed at them as it spread its fins. Drake was immediately reminded of a cobra, spreading its hood to intimidate its foes. The big difference was that a cobra didn't have such a wide tail, and it had less _teeth_. And it didn't float. Which Gizamaluke was doing. Drake ducked as the beast tried to bash his head with its tail, wincing at the stench that came with the unexpected wind.

Drake blinked as Gizamaluke breathed some kind of white-blue smoke at Vivi, and Drake immediately tossed the boy an echo screen before pulling out an arrow. Zidane was busy trying to hit Gizamaluke to really try to do much like blinding Gizamaluke. The archer figured that if he could pierce the boss's eyes, he could blind him that way.

"Freya." The woman glanced back to show that she was listening. "I'm gonna blind him. If he's able to see, we won't stand a chance." Freya paused a moment, and nodded. Drake felt sorry for her, having to make the decision between this powerful and wonderful creature that the Burmecians worshipped and all of the people she had sworn to protect.

Drake started to tune everything out but his target, feeling himself calm at the familiar motions. He pushed all thoughts aside, focusing his eyes solely on Gizamaluke's. A single arrow slid from his quiver and was nocked to his bowstring. He could feel his mana pulsing inside of him, so he allowed a thin tendril to seep into the arrowhead, giving it electrical qualities. Muscles strained as he pulled the string back, his fingers touching his ear. He held that stance for a moment, and, as he exhaled, relaxed his fingers, releasing the string.

Drake kept his eyes on his target as the arrow flew. The rod proved true, and Gizamaluke roared in pain as the bit of magic that Drake had allowed into his arrow took out the eye that hadn't been pierced. The archer came out of his almost meditative state to see Zidane sending him a grateful look. Vivi was muttering the beginnings of a spell next to him, his eyes closed in concentration.

"Thunder!!" Drake watched as Vivi unleashed the spell on Gizamaluke as Zidane managed to slice a line on the dragon's lower section, and realized that he couldn't see Freya. The woman, as if responding to that thought, dropped from the air to pierce the beast's tail. Quina was busy muttering something in its broken language, and thrust its fork forwards suddenly, magic coming from it.

"Angels' Snack!" Drake blinked, remembering the uses of that ability. He felt relief pass through his mind, though, and knew why. His emotions no longer felt numbed, and his mind was cleared. Judging by the look on the others' faces as well, they had been needing that pick-me-up as well. Quina had seen everyone's mental strain and Angels' Snack had fixed that.

Drake swiftly pulled out an arrow and shot it at Gizamaluke. He missed his target, and the arrow shot straight through the membrane of its fin. Zidane ducked a sweep of Gizamaluke's tail, and Vivi was calling up another Thunder spell. Freya jumped up into the air again, disappearing into the darkness that reigned far above them.

Freya landed on Gizamaluke's back again, and then quickly jumped off as the creature started to screech, little orbs of light coming from it. Drake was reminded of pyreflies from Final Fantasy Ten, but these weren't really much like those. They were light blue, instead of constantly changing colors. Though, he couldn't help but wonder if the creature was dying as it slumped to the walkway and slowly slid into the water again.

"...Did we do it?" Even Zidane was uncertain. Freya cautiously walked to the edge of the walkway, her spear constantly ready. Drake knew that in the game, the creature wasn't ever seen again, so he could only assume it was dead.

A shape popping up from the water told him otherwise, though, and the archer stared. In its mouth was his arrow, and one of its eyes was ruined, the other taking in the others. His arrow was placed on the walkway carefully, and Master Gizamaluke reared up out of the water a little.

"I thank you, warriors, for returning me to my right mind." Drake was stunned. This wasn't what he remembered happening! "Even a creature such as myself can fall prey to spells that affect the mind." The dragon-like being looked to Drake, who was suddenly feeling a bit guilty. "And I forgive you for what you did to my eye. I shall hold it as a reminder that even we Constellato are not impervious to everything." Drake blinked. Constellato? Why did that make him think Stellazio?

"Dragon Knight. Remain strong." Drake blinked at the final message that Gizamaluke gave them, or rather, Freya, and then watched as the serpent like creature flew up into the hole it had emerged from earlier.

They all were staring for a few minutes, and then Drake shook his head roughly. The movement seemed to wake the rest as well, and Freya led the way out of the chamber. Drake was rather relieved to see the dim light of the outside world, though the damage done on this side of the grotto was far greater than it had been on the other side. There were so many dead bodies around that Drake was starting to feel ill again.

"We should be in Burmecia City within three days." Drake blinked. It really took that long to get from one place to another? He then noticed that Vivi had a new staff. "It's been so long since I last was on this ground..." Drake merely glanced at Freya for her nostalgia.

"Hey Freya...What did he mean by 'Constellato'?" Drake glanced towards Vivi as he asked the question he had been thinking. Zidane and Freya both looked towards the little black mage with a bit of surprise. Quina seemed to have forgotten what they were doing, and was looking through the area for 'yummy-yummies'. Drake figured it wouldn't find any.

"A Constellato is a god, the essence of a particular trade. Gizamaluke is the essence of the Dragon Knight. He gave his favor to a man named Fratley. I do not know of the rest, I'm afraid." Drake blinked. A favor...? That sounded...

They all looked to Drake as he started to search for something on his person, before he seemed to remember where he put it and reached into his enchanted pouch. He pulled out a metal feather and showed it to Freya.

"Something like this, right?" The Dragon Knight seemed shocked. Zidane was, too. "I got it from a woman who gave me a ride to Lindblum after I reached South Gate. She was...a little eccentric." Freya hesitantly reached out to touch the metal feather, but kept her hand about an inch away from it.

"That's...It is. It is a Stellazio. I've heard it said that only those who are paragons of the trade will receive one, and that it holds the most power when given directly by the Constellato. There is power in this feather, as strong as the ornamental spearhead that Sir Fratley held dear." Drake blinked. So that woman had been a goddess? That was...well, it was kinda creepy. A certain memory crossed his mind, and his face screwed up even more.

"...I got hit on by a Constellato." Zidane burst out laughing at that statement, and Freya sort of glared at Drake for that statement. "Anyway. How about we forget about that slightly traumatizing bit of information and get going?" Freya nodded, and Zidane called for Quina to come, still chuckling.

~~.~~.~~.~~.~~

"You feeling alright, Drake?" The archer blinked up from his tending to his bow, looking across the small fire to Freya, who was looking back at him, her hat on the ground next to her.

"Yes. That spell that Quina used while we were fighting Master Gizamaluke helped me to clear my mind. I still feel a little odd when I realize that I ended that mage's life, but...it isn't the same as it was then. The shock's worn off." Drake looked down at his bow, his fingers tracing one of the scorch marks.

"Fighting the Lamia...When you were charmed by it, what exactly did you see us as?" Drake lifted an eyebrow as he looked at Freya. "I've never exactly heard anyone speak of it. Lamia are creatures of legends told before the Grotto was closed off from the Mist." Drake tilted his head back. There was an awful lot he still didn't know about Gaia.

"Well...the four of you just looked like skeletons. Looking back at it, I can tell which was which, but in that moment, I was only aware that there was a woman that looked exactly like my girl. Not Anastasia. What was it that Zidane had said before charging at the Lamia? I wasn't able to understand any of you." Freya lifted an eyebrow.

"That does explain why the people in the stories were unable to listen to reason. He had been trying to ask you if you were alright, and then yelled at the monster. How was it that you knew what a Lamia looked like?" Drake paused. How was he going to explain his way out of this one?

"There's a drawing that I remember seeing once. It must have been ancient, because the paper it was on was quite old. Next to it was a description copied from the original document. I can only imagine that the drawing had been imagined from the description. It wasn't terribly similar to the real thing. The drawing showed more human like qualities than it actually had." Freya nodded to his explanation, buying it.

"Where?" Drake looked up towards the hazy moon. Freya had admitted that their minds would be better for the fire that night. Where would there likely be a drawing of a Lamia where no one would really ask about him? "...That's something you can't remember, isn't it?" Drake nodded, accepting the excuse Freya offered him.

"...Do you think maybe it's the Mist itself that makes the monsters? You mentioned that corpses used to rise up in battle. Those battles were all held in Mist-heavy areas, right?" Freya merely stared at Drake, waiting for him to finish explaining his idea. "What if there was something in the Mist that made them do so? That soldier that attacked us had been still when you checked on him, right?" Freya looked down at her hands.

"...He'd died right in front of me." Drake hummed slightly, and laid back where he was. They'd simply found some wood for a fire and didn't call a moogle that night, figuring that if they were to be attacked, they didn't want to have to be responsible for protecting one of them. "How many more must I fail to save...?" Drake sat up and looked seriously at the woman.

"Freya. You didn't fail them. There was no way that we could have gotten there to make a difference to all those people. You saw that soldier that met the Regent before dying. He had come on chocobo back. I heard the Lindblum soldiers talking about it." Drake sat back again, then, folding his hands behind his head. "There is only so much that any one person can do. As a group, though...there is much that we can do. That is why we are social creatures."

A light snore came from Vivi. The poor kid had fallen asleep almost as soon as they had stopped. It seemed that he had very little stamina. Drake couldn't help but feel bad for being part of the group that dragged him into the whole mess.

"I suppose...I suppose that's right. Thank you. You've quite a level head." Drake chuckled. Him, level-headed?

"This in spite of my shock after killing a person." A scoff from Zidane, who was standing outside of the circle of light shed from the fire, made the archer glance over in his direction.

"This said about the person who saw the path to victory against the Constellato as well as the Lamia. Not to mention the one who recovered swiftly from battle shock the fastest of any I've met." Drake blinked at Freya's announcement. "Though perhaps it is a relief to be able to breath around a person and not be suffocated by their ego." Drake chuckled at the jab at Zidane, who made a slightly irritated noise.

"Tell me about it. A lot of the guys in Tantalus are like that, but Boss and Zidane are the worst. Boss at least we can hear coming. Monkey-butt we can't." A chuckle came from Freya this time.

"Just go to sleep," Zidane growled. Drake yawned, and moved his pouch from his belt so that he could use it as a pillow. He had put his Stellazio back into it for safe-keeping.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

"Kole..." A poke to his face made his eyes open, and he glared slightly at the woman sitting next to him. "Gosh, you're such a lazy bum! You fall asleep at the drop of a hat, I swear!" Kole yawned as he sat up next to his girlfriend.

"Best way to pass the time." A light whap on the head made him grin. Lots of people that saw him interact with his girlfriend claimed he was a masochist, but in reality, she just didn't really hit him that hard. At most it was a tap.

"Yes, but really. I walked all the way here to spend time with you, and you decide to spend it asleep." Kole looked at his girlfriend of a year with a soft smile on his face.

"Consider it a compliment, then, that I'm so comfortable around you." He leaned over and kissed her gently, knowing that it was a sure way to get her to calm down again. "My pretty hothead." Cassandra rolled her eyes with a smirk.

"Sometimes I wonder how the two of us got together. You're so laidback." Kole snaked an arm around the brunette next to him and pulled her against him as he laid back down again. "One thing I know for certain. You're a living space heater." Kole chuckled, looking up at the clouds above them.

"We got together because we need each other. You pester me until I do something, and I calm you down. Though I admit, if it weren't for how neurotic your dad is, you wouldn't be so hot-tempered." Kole felt Cass sigh, and smiled slightly. She was starting to relax now.

Kole really did enjoy these moments where they could simply sit and be together and not feel like they had to talk. He knew that Cassandra enjoyed it as well, since it was one of the few times she didn't feel like she had to do something. She wasn't nearly as obsessive about it as her dad, but things like that had a tendency to wear off on others.

"I've been thinking about moving out." Drake blinked at Cass's words. "Once I turn eighteen. I've already got a job, and I've been doing all my own house chores for years. I think I can manage it." Kole frowned. He tilted his head and pressed his lips to the side of her head, merely offering her the comfort she needed. She was scared about this thought, but he knew that she was going to have to face it sooner or later.

"...You'll be busier..." Cass nodded slightly. Kole could almost feel her anxiety, and held her closer. "If you're really set on getting away from your dad, I could ask Mom if you could move in. You know she already sees you as a daughter."

"I don't want to impose, though..." Kole chuckled slightly, and took a breath with his nose buried in her hair. "I know you say that I say that too much, but..."

"You're always so self-conscious...I'd say out of all your aspects, that's probably the only one I'd say is trouble." Cass merely hummed slightly. Kole could tell she was starting to fall asleep out of a combination of warm sunlight, a nice breeze, and leaning against him. Slightly chilly spring days were wonderful for this sort of thing. "Take a nap, you'll feel better afterwards." Cass's only answer was a soft snort before her breathing evened out.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

"Drake, wake up." The archer groaned as he woke up, and glared up at Freya, who had been the one to wake him. "You offered to take the third shift, remember." The man groaned and sat up, rubbing at his eyes. He pulled his hand away and stared at it as he felt something wet. "You weren't aware you were crying?" The archer wiped away all traces of the tears.

"No. But I think I understand why, considering the dream I had." The man stood, and stretched a bit to loosen his muscles. Freya didn't pry and ask what he had been dreaming about. If there was something that the two of them understood, it was having to deal with being unable to find the one they loved. Freya at least had rumors to go off of. Drake didn't even have that.

Freya laid down where she had earlier, and fell asleep quickly. Drake honestly didn't know how she could handle having her sleep interrupted in the middle, but then again, like Cass had always told him, he loved to sleep. But however much he loved to sleep, there was something he enjoyed as much. Something Cass had taught him.

Drake loved to watch the sun rise, whenever he could. Watching the darkness of night give way to the rosy pinks and yellows of the sun and then give way to the clear, beautiful blue of the day was something he used to ignore. After listening to Cass describe it as most people would describe the sunset, he had decided to get up to watch it one morning...and found it to be just as wonderful as she had described.

He supposed that was one reason why he loved Lindblum so much. The colors of the stones reminded him of the first traces of sunlight on the horizon. And the sunrise reminded him of Cass, in a round-about way. But Cass hadn't enjoyed big cities terribly much. If she could, she would walk everywhere. She knew how to drive, and did so just to get to work, but she hadn't ever driven to his house, choosing instead to walk there no matter what kind of shoes she was wearing. If they were uncomfortable, she'd just take them off and walk barefoot.

Drake shook the thoughts out of his head and realized that he should be starting the fire back up. He did so as the others started to stir. As he'd expected, there hadn't been even a whiff of a Mist monster all during his shift. They'd all been scared away by Alexandria's invasion.

~.~*~.~*~.~*~.~*~.~

And that's it for this chapter! Drake's had a bloody baptism, and we've met yet another of the additions I've made to the world of Gaia: the Constellato. I assure you, we will be seeing more of them.

Next chapter: A sense of panic, and Kuja appears! And what has happened to Anastasia, who had told Drake she was traveling towards Burmecia? Tune in next time to find out!


	7. The Realm of Eternal Rain

Dreylen: Welcome to Chapter Six of To Have Loved and Lost!

Kuja: Woman! Get back here! I demand that you rewrite the last chapter!

Dreylen: ~turns to look at window. Outside is Kuja yelling at the top of his lungs, facing the other direction~ ...Anyway. ~turns back to screen~ Enjoy! I don't own anything Final Fantasy. Except this little Tonberry keychain my boyfriend bought me. Though it has a tag on it claiming the idea of him belongs to some big company. I do own Drake/Kole and Anastasia, though.

~.~*~.~*~.~*~.~*~.~

Chapter 6: The Realm of Eternal Rain

Drake sighed into his trail rations as he walked along. He was hoping that because Quina was along, he'd get a nice hot breakfast, but it seemed that was out of the question. Quina apparently needed a full kitchen to even think about cooking. Which was kinda stupid in Drake's opinion. Then again, he had survived off of microwavable meals for a little while. And he had never pegged Quina as being a perfectionist when it came to food. None of the others seemed to mind, so Drake kept his mouth shut.

Freya was still in the lead, knowing the area far better than the rest. Zidane had called Choco again, the bird somehow managing to find its way over the mountain that they had had to go through. Vivi was riding the Choco, with Drake walking alongside. Quina, being the slow walker it was, was in the very back.

The scent of smoke made Drake lift his head from where he was watching his feet, and he looked in that direction. Freya and Zidane were doing the same already, and looked to the rest before starting towards the gate the wind was blowing from.

Even from a distance, Drake was able to tell that the damaged mosaic above the beautiful gate was supposed to be Master Gizamaluke. That looked to be the only damage done to this side of the gate, however.

"The smell of fire...and blood! There must have been a huge battle on the other side of that gate..." Quina darted ahead of the rest, sniffing the air loudly. Drake couldn't help but give it an odd look.

"Something smell bad. I get bad feeling!" Drake knelt at the side of the road, taking advantage of the momentary reprieve to ease some of the pain his feet were feeling because of the non-stop walking. Quina then trotted forwards and to the side of the road, where some blue flowers were growing. "Flower smell good! You smell flower!" Drake couldn't help but chuckle at Quina's random nature and blinked up at Choco as he came over to nudge the archer.

"...Quina does whatever s/he feels like doing. I must learn from its ways." Drake chuckled again as he rubbed under Choco's bridle. Zidane turned to look at the Dragon Knight, a slightly bemused look on his face.

"I don't think it's intentional, Freya." Drake decided to stay out of this conversation, knowing that his words wouldn't help any more or less than Zidane's would.

"No, if I had done as I pleased, I would've been..." Drake tilted his head to the side at that, and then noticed Quina standing up with one of the flowers in its mouth. His face and palm met loudly.

"Zidane, this flower taste good!" The thief turned to glance back at the Qu, having seen Drake's reaction first.

"See what I mean?" Even Vivi was staring at Quina like it was crazy. Freya wasn't convinced that Zidane was right, though. She shook her head, and looked towards the direction they'd been heading for the past day or so. Drake found it rather hard to tell time while under the Mist.

"Let's go! Burmecia is just a half days walk. We've made good time." Drake lifted his eyebrows at that. Though he knew that small groups often traveled faster, even he was surprised at how fast they'd been moving.

They headed out again, until Zidane called a stop and turned to frown slightly at Drake. The archer blinked at him and lifted an eyebrow, already pretty much worn out. It was then that he realized he was the only one in that state. Vivi had been riding Choco, and Zidane and Freya had greater stamina than Drake did. Quina did as well, it seemed.

"Drake, get up on Choco behind Vivi. He can hold both of you, and you're not going to be fit to fight if you keep going like this." Drake sighed and ran his fingers through his hair before looking skeptically at the chocobo.

"I've...never ridden before." Zidane's face met his palm as Freya chuckled. Vivi blinked at Drake, and Quina was trying to dig up some plant nearby.

"Neither did I until Zidane called Choco for me to ride on." Drake sighed slightly, his only argument shot down. Drake blinked as a drop of water landed on his nose, and looked up towards the sky. The sky was decidedly darker than it had been earlier, and Drake could only figure that it was because there was a storm drawing nearer to their spot. Or they could be getting closer to Burmecia. Whichever.

"Just get on, Drake. Choco isn't mean to beginner riders." The archer sighed and looked at the bird, trying to figure out how to get onto it. "...Here, this is how you get onto him..." Drake followed Zidane's instructions, expecting to fall at any moment. He was sure it showed in his face, because Freya was trying, and failing, to hide her laughter. "Now, just hold on to Vivi and let him steer." Drake's face was bright red by the time he was seated, and he still felt like he was about to fall off.

Then Choco started to walk.

Zidane and Freya's laughter faded into the Mist around them as Vivi squeaked under Drake's hard grip. Drake had to consciously loosen his grip on the little black mage before he did any damage to him. Each step that Choco took made him feel like he was about to fall off the side.

"It's easier to stay on at a run. Quina, do you think you could keep up?" Drake glanced over his shoulder at the Qu, his eyes pleading with it to say no. Instead, the gourmand nodded, and Drake groaned.

Zidane and Freya took off, with Quina just behind them. Choco was trotting behind them, with a wide-eyed Drake and Vivi sitting on top of him.

~~.~~.~~.~~.~~

About an hour before dusk, they finally reached Burmecia, and Drake slid off of Choco gratefully. He had NOT enjoyed that ride. He was wet from all the rain, probably was bruises on his rear, and was ready to sleep already. He had caught himself wishing that he were home sending Zidane and the crew through this on his TV, not living through it. Adventures weren't fun if one was living through them.

As Drake trailed behind the rest, he moved where his yellow scarf was, winding it around his head sort of like a turban. Hopefully, it would keep the rain out of his eyes by soaking it up. And then, when they headed to Cleyra, it would keep his head cooler. He eyed the plants that were growing up the damaged gate into Burmecia, wondering how they survived there.

"So...this is Freya's home." Drake wiped his face semi-dry with a loose tail of his scarf and then tucked it away, taking his bow to hand. Quina spotted the spilled apples that had been left by the gate when the attack started, and started to eat them, not caring that most of them were already half rotted. "What are you doing? Get over here." Drake looked over his shoulder and saw that Freya had been lagging behind.

Drake frowned as he saw that the Dragon Knight was moving as if she were in a trance. Her eyes were unfocused slightly, looking at the city with a mixture of fondness and horror. Drake could sort of understand. He'd have the same reaction if he returned home and saw everything was in partial ruin. "I've been away for so long...Not a night went by when I didn't dream about home...I can't believe I'm here." Drake looked away, chewing on the corner of his lip.

He wanted to comfort her, to tell her he knew what she meant. But he couldn't. He was lying to them all, letting them believe he was lost and didn't remember much of anything about himself. And it was eating him up.

"I am no longer the selfish child I was five years ago. The time has come to serve my kingdom as a Burmecian Dragon Knight once again!" Drake, Zidane, and Vivi all nodded to encourage Freya. Quina just kept eating.

"We'll do what we can to help." Drake blinked as he noted the change in Zidane's line. In the game, he had spoken only for himself. He hadn't yet been acting as a leader. Here, with them, he was. "Let's go." Drake watched as the rest trotted through the gate, and followed, but paused to wait for Freya, turning back to watch her.

"Thank you, Drake." The archer nodded and turned to catch up to the others, Freya next to him. Sometimes silence could work far better than words. "What can I do for my kingdom...?" Freya shook her head as she continued to run. "This is not the time for such thoughts." Drake was pretty sure those words were supposed to be meant for her own ears alone.

The streets, though empty of the living, were filled with the charred bodies of those Burmecians who were taken by surprise. Drake merely held his breath as much as he could afford to and hoped that the stench didn't get burned into his memory. The pressure of the storm that stayed above them increased the scent, after all.

And yet, as they traveled, Drake couldn't help but admire the beauty of the city. The scorch marks did little to hide the mosaics and frescos that covered the walls, and even the pavement below their feet was patterned, protected from eroding through the water by magic.

The archer found himself able to imagine what Burmecia had once looked like. Hats like Freya's weaving through the covered marketplaces, streaming along the streets as happy chatter filled the air... As it should look like.

His imagination turned on him then, showing him what happened during the destruction. Black mages streamed through the alleyways and streets, casting Fire spells on all they passed. People scattered. Children called for their parents, not recognizing them even as they passed their marred corpses, only to be killed themselves by the Alexandrian soldiers that swept through the city after the mages.

Drake tripped over a piece of debris and remained on his hands and knees, fighting the urge to retch. The patter of rain was all that filled his ears, and he looked up. A wave of fear crashed over him. Where had the others gone? What had happened as he had been lost in the pictures his mind wove?

Had they been ambushed by black mages and killed? Or shot down by archers? Or had Kuja himself decided to end this journey a little early? His mind, unable to get through the shock, kept showing him all the possible gruesome ways for his companions to have died.

Eventually, even his imagination ran out of ideas, and he pushed himself up into a sitting position, well and thoroughly soaked. He closed his eyes and tilted his face up to the sky, concentrating on the patterns that the water made on his skin. It helped to calm him, certainly, but it did nothing for his unfortunate situation.

"Ah? Someone still alive?" Drake popped to his feet as he heard the voice, turning sharply towards its source, his bow and an arrow appearing in his hands. The small, striped moogle that had spoken jumped at the sharp movements, and held up his hands placatingly. "Easy now, kupo. I'm no fighter." Drake sighed slightly and relaxed as much as he could.

"I'm sorry. I just realized that I've been separated from my friends." Drake gave the small creature a wan smile. "Getting lost in thought is a wonderful way to actually get lost." The moogle nodded, a small smile on his face. "I'm Drake Kyle, by the way. You are?" The archer gave a short bow, showing his manners. The moogle did the same, his red pom-pom bouncing with the movement as the covered pack on his back rustled with paper.

"Stiltzkin. I'm a traveling merchant, kupo. I've spent the past three days just looking for someone else who's alive. How recently did you come?" Drake smiled slightly and looked sharply around as he heard a noise. The moogle understood the gesture, having been around fighters before, and fell silent.

"There." Drake spun, nocking the arrow he held to his bow, and pointed it at the squad of Alexandrian soldiers that had been spying on them. They seemed surprised that they had been found out, though perhaps they were merely surprised that he was human. "What are you- What are you doing? Are you not the one that the Queen said was to be escorted to her?" Drake's eyes narrowed.

"The apprentice was female, I thought." The leader of the soldiers glanced towards the one that had spoken, and then lifted her sword. Drake frowned, feeling a bit of fear rise in his chest.

There were several ways to deal with organized groups. The first was to annihilate them all. Bloody, but it seemed to be effective. The next was to take out the leaders. It, too, was rather effective, but was not a permanent solution, like the first was. The third was to wipe out the grunts, leaving the 'brain' unable to do much. It was fairly ineffective, as grunts were easily replaced. The fourth was to dishonor the group so much that no one wanted to join, thus eliminating the potential reserves they had to call upon. The fifth was to avoid confrontation at all.

"Ah. Well, then, he is to be eliminated." This statement erased all possibility of two of the five. "Charge him!" Drake sneered slightly, feeling cold anger rise up inside of him. He released the arrow he had slowly been drawing, and watched it as it flew across the gap between him and the lead soldier. Another arrow was on the string and drawn back as the woman's sword stilled on the pavement.

"Anyone else wish to try their luck?" Drake was a little scared by how little that had affected him. He was even more surprised that his voice hadn't been wavering.

The soldiers seemed unnerved, as well. The one that had corrected their late leader was the one the rest seemed to look towards, so that was the one that the archer was aiming towards. She, it seemed, had more sense than her predecessor.

"...Fall back. Shields up." Drake smirked at the order. The sixth way to deal with an organized group: intimidation. It didn't always work, but when it did, the outcome was amazing. The archer stayed in his stance until the soldiers were out of sight, and then took the arrow off of the string. He didn't put it back into its sheathe, though, turning to look at the moogle.

"Kupo...I've never seen a single archer scare off soldiers before." Drake smiled slightly and rubbed his nose with the thumb from the hand that held the arrow, keeping the bladed head away from his face. He then held his hand out and looked at it shake.

"..."

The archer moved from his spot and leaned against the wall, emptying his stomach of the little that remained in it. He...had killed a human. In cold blood.

"Eh. Here, you should probably rest. The sooner we get out of sight, the better, kupo." Drake nodded as he wiped his mouth, putting the arrow away. He followed the moogle to a little storage shed. Few soldiers would think to look in there once they had swept through an area.

After he made sure that the door was closed Drake went and found a rather dry spot, peeling off a few pieces of clothing and setting them to the side to hopefully dry. He even took the 'turban' off of his head and ran his fingers through his short hair.

"Here, kupo." Drake blinked at the cloth that Stiltzkin offered him, and then decided that it was likely to be used for a towel, considering that the moogle was looking a little dryer than he had just a moment ago. He ruffled his hair with it and then dried his face and hands, feeling a little better for not being constantly soaked. "Want something to eat, kupo?" Drake shook his head, closing his eyes and resting his elbows on his knees.

"I'm sorry, but I really don't think I'd be able to keep anything down right now." His voice was barely above a whisper as he leaned his head on the wall behind him.

The sound of the rain on the rooftop above him was calming him down, but the image of the arrow sliding into the soldier's face still kept Drake from relaxing. His breath was still a little shaky, as were his hands. There was no way he'd be able to fight to his full potential as he was.

"Kupo...You're still getting used to killing?" Drake opened one eye to look at Stiltzkin, and smiled sheepishly. "It's okay, kupo. You're not the first I've seen react in this way. I'll help you to find your friends. They'll be able to watch your back, kupo." Drake nodded and closed his eye again.

"...I don't think I'm going to be able to fall asleep by myself...Have you got any sleeping weed in your supplies?" Drake opened his eyes as he looked to the moogle, tilting his head a little while keeping it against the wall. The traveling merchant thought for a moment before digging through his pack.

"Here, kupo. For free, because you're helping defend Burmecia." Drake smiled at the moogle and accepted the small packet of powder. A cup of water was provided as well. "We should be safe here for the night. Have a nice sleep, kupo." Drake smiled at the moogle before putting the powder into the cup and swirling it around before swallowing it. He grimaced at the bitter taste, but handed the cup back to the moogle and closed his eyes, letting himself fall under the influence of the herbal remedy without resisting it.

He was glad that someone who fell asleep with the aide of sleeping weed didn't dream.

~~.~~.~~.~~.~~

Drake woke slowly, beginning to become aware of a crick in his neck and feeling impossibly damp all over the place. He was going to have to take off his boots and socks to keep from getting some kind of weird fungus. He'd heard all about trench foot from handed down stories of the World Wars. He didn't want to experience it.

"Are you awake, kupo?" The voice was soft, and the archer had to pretty much pry his eyes open. "Don't talk yet, there are soldiers wandering about nearby. They've found the woman you killed and are looking for you." Drake nodded silently and closed his eyes, perfectly willing to drift off to sleep again. However, the speaking of the women outside of the tiny shed kept him awake. He couldn't make out exactly what they said, but that might have been as much the sleeping weed still affecting his mind as it was the thick walls.

The door to the shed rattled suddenly, and Drake was instantly on alert, his hand slipping to the belt knife he always kept. His bow and arrows wouldn't be much use in such a tight area. The door didn't open, though.

"Locked," came the muffled voice. "There's no way that he could have snuck into this one. There are no windows." Drake lifted an eyebrow at that, and looked towards where the light in the small shed was coming from. It was an orb of some luminescent moss. He hadn't thought to question much the night before.

"Keep searching then. ...Oi! Stand and identify yourselves!" Drake lifted an eyebrow at that. There were some other people around? "A rat! They're with the sub-humans!" That phrase made Drake scowl. He looked to Stiltzkin, who nodded, and pulled one of his quivers on before stringing his bow, watching the moogle pick the lock out of the corner of his eye.

The door opened inwards, courtesy of Stiltzkin, and Drake quickly aimed and loosed his arrow into the neck of the woman standing directly in front of the door. She went flying several feet, the arrow struck her so hard.

"Wah!" Drake's heart leapt. He recognized that startled cry. It was Vivi! The others were here!

"That arrow...Drake!" The archer grinned slightly as he stepped into the rain, another arrow nocked into place and aimed at another target. The Alexandrian soldiers were in chaos, having not expected to be caught in a pincher attack. His intimidation of the group of soldiers before was still in effect, it seemed. He nodded to Zidane, who looked about as relieved as Drake imagined he would had he seen Dagger safe back in Lindblum.

"Sorry, girls, but I'm afraid I can't let you hurt my brother and my friends." Drake mentally blinked at the fact he had just called Zidane his brother. Well, they were close enough. Drake had been living with Zidane for two years, and knew him pretty darn well. "So either you throw down your swords and leave, or you all join your friend there." Drake nodded towards the woman he had shot and killed first.

A slightly confused look passed over Freya's face, but she didn't say anything, trusting him to get this over with quickly. Zidane seemed to understand what Drake was doing, and smirked rather evilly. Vivi and Quina were just staring at the scene from behind the Dragon Knight and the thief.

The Alexandrian soldiers looked to be torn between leaving and staying. Having a group that was twice the size of the one that had stared down Drake the night before seemed to be giving them the beginnings of a mob mentality.

"Catherine, Alexia, Stephanie and Julia, charge the archer. Keep your shields up. Everyone, get them!" Drake clicked his tongue in annoyance, and released his arrow, suddenly dropping his aim to shoot the commanding soldier in the thigh. She screamed loudly, and Drake knew that he had to have snapped her thigh bone. After all, there wasn't supposed to be an extra joint in between the knee and the hip.

The woman's scream made Drake's empty stomach flip, but he merely bore the nausea out and drew another arrow, aiming for the soldier nearest him. The arrow punched straight through her metal armor.

This new development scared the remaining women that were watching him. The rest were getting thrown off by Zidane and Freya. Quina was batting them away with his fork, and Vivi was freezing a few to help.

The screaming from the commanding soldier stopped, and Drake spared a glance towards her to see Freya pulling her spear out from under the Alexandrian soldier's helmet. Drake winced slightly, but understood it had been a mercy killing. The soldiers whose forms were splattered with the blood that flew off of Freya's spear as she swung it were terrified, though.

One or two of the women threw down their swords and ran off as fast as they could, but the rest started to maneuver themselves into a defensive formation. Drake shook his head and aimed high into the sky, concentrating hard.

His mana started to show itself at the tip of his arrow, water catching on some unseen shape around it before falling onto his hands. Drake closed his eyes for a moment, before letting go, the arrow screaming into the sky. All the soldiers, including the one that had been charging at the archer, fell to the ground, covering their ears. A couple of them yelled in pain, though those calls were quickly cut off, something darker than water falling to the pavement.

"Nifty trick, Drake. What was that?" Drake winced slightly as a wave of nausea rolled over him again, and he dropped to a knee, retching slightly. "Hey!"

Gloved hands grabbed Drake's shoulders and helped to push him to a sitting position again. Zidane looked into Drake's eyes, rather freaked out. Drake really couldn't blame him. If he'd seen Zidane do the same thing, he was pretty sure his reaction would have been to rush over and see if he was alright.

"Sorry," Drake croaked, wiping the back of his right hand over his mouth. "Still getting used to the...killing." Zidane's eyes softened slightly in understanding, and he helped the dark haired archer to stand.

"Kupo...Are they your friends, Drake?" All of them turned to look at the moogle that was peeking out from beyond the door to the shed. Drake nodded slightly, and moved to go back into the small building.

"Yeah, they are, Stiltzkin. Dunno how I managed to get separated from them, though." The archer sent an apologetic look over his shoulder to his friends, who had finally remembered to look irritated at him.

The towel that Stiltzkin had offered Drake was passed around, and the door was closed as they reveled in being slightly drier in such a wet environment. After everyone had at least dried their weapons and their hair, Drake took the towel and pulled off his vest, drying it as much as possible.

"So you managed to somehow get a bunch of Alexandrian soldiers scared, huh?" Drake winced at the first question Zidane asked. The hand with the towel paused for a moment, and then wiped a patch of water away.

"Yeah. Acting skills come in handy off the stage too, it seems." Zidane's slightly excited face faded for a moment, understanding. "I've no clue how they didn't see my hands shaking from where they were standing." Drake laughed slightly, the sound fading into the crowded shed. It sounded, and was, half-hearted.

'Looks like I'm starting to get a bit of morbid humor. Hope it doesn't really stick around after we get out of here.' Drake finished drying his bit of armor, and passed the towel to Freya, who had taken off some of hers to do the same.

"We didn't notice you were missing for a while, you know." Drake looked to Freya. "You'd dropped to the back, and you have this odd tendency to step in time with someone else to hide the sound of your feet." Drake blinked at this observation. He still had that habit? "We had turned, and, after a while, paused to confer on where we were going to go, as we'd run into a bit of a roadblock. It was then that we noticed you were missing." Drake blinked.

Burmecia was certainly larger than the few frames that had been in the game. In fact, those few frames did nothing to compliment the eerie beauty of the place, or even showcase it. Though it was ruined by the marks the mages had made, it was still enchanting. He was looking forwards to visiting it when it was rebuilt.

If he was still around then.

That thought made Drake look to his hands. He still thought fondly of the home he had grown up in, but that was mere nostalgia now. Even if he did go back, what was left for him there? A life of grunt work somewhere, getting barked at by some big-wig to do something or other, biting back his true feelings and offering a fake smile to those around him? He wanted none of that. There was no freedom in that.

Here in Gaia...Here, there was freedom. He had a place here. He was an actor, an archer, a warrior. He had a goal. He had a future. Even if he had to fight to get to that future...Gaia was his home, now. But would he still feel that way when he found Cass? Would she feel that way?

"Drake?" The archer blinked up out of his thoughts, and blinked a couple more times at the concerned looks he was getting from his friends. Even Quina looked a little worried, which was kinda weird. "You alright? We asked you a question and you didn't even budge." Drake gave a slight smile.

"Sorry. I was lost in my own thoughts. It's been happening a lot, lately. It's probably why I didn't notice everyone turning and kept going down that street." Zidane snorted slightly. There was still a rather worried look in his eyes, but at least he understood now.

"Anyway. What did you do with your arrow? We didn't hear anything, but it seemed like those soldiers sure did." Drake smiled a little and pulled an arrow from his quiver, holding it forward.

"I...shaped my mana around the tip. I'm pretty low on it now, though. I don't have much. The shape made the wind screech, but the mana made it so that I could determine who could hear it. Apparently, it's quite loud." That got a few smiles. Everyone was feeling better now that they were together again.

"...We should get going. We've dried off a bit, but we've still got to find the king." Drake nodded to Freya's statement, and stood to put his things back on. He was getting better at replacing them faster. Within a moment, he had put his sleeve back on and all the belts that kept it in place were secured as well. A few tugs on the laces of his lone glove and he was done, winding the scarf lightly around his head again as a sort of turban.

"...You know that looks weird, right?" Drake smirked at Zidane, who was staring at the odd fashion statement with a bizarre look on his face.

"If it keeps my head warm and slightly dry, I don't care what it looks like." Freya chuckled at the sentiment, and opened the door. "Guys, is it okay if Stiltzkin travels with us for a bit? At least until we meet another moogle."

Vivi, Freya, and Quina all looked to Zidane, who blinked and looked at them as if to say 'what, is there something on my face'? Drake hid a smirk at that. He almost swore they were acting this way to get him to be himself again, but he knew that this was actually how they were.

"I don't see why not. You should stay a bit of distance behind, though, and hide as much as possible. We're going to be getting into some pretty hairy fights." The striped moogle nodded, relief on its small face.

They all filed out the door, Freya looking warily all over the place. Then Vivi emerged, ready to call up a spell if needed. Quina waddled out next, completely oblivious to the tension the others felt. It had been sleeping as the rest talked. Zidane came out next, his eyes darting around much like Freya's had been. Stiltzkin was riding on the Genome's back for the moment, pack and all. Drake came out last, his hand in his enchanted pouch to touch his Stellazio for a moment.

They trotted down the road until they saw a building that Drake recognized. It wasn't that he'd seen it when he was running. He recognized the destruction, and the ruined balcony with two doors. Doors that a pair of familiar jesters were coming through.

"It is them again!" Drake stared up at the blue jester, trying to remember which he was. They were Zorn and Thorn, he knew, but he could never remember which was which.

"Most persistent, they are!" Thorn was the red one. He remembered now, because he had once made the connection with his color and the color of a traditional rose. Which meant that Zorn was the one in blue.

"Black mages!" The two jesters walked calmly back into the building as Drake whipped off his bow, pulling an arrow out. He was glaring up at the balcony.

He hadn't failed to see the bodies crushed under the rubble before the door. A slender, feminine hand was reaching out as if to someone that was no longer there. A man lay crushed by her side. He had been killed instantly, but there was a look of agony on the woman's face.

He supposed it was a good thing that he had noticed those two bodies when he had played the game, or he would have been shocked, not angry. He'd had more than enough of shock to last him several years.

The two black mages appeared, only for one of them to topple from the banister, an arrow lodged in its throat. The other jumped off of the banister to land hard on the ground on the other side of the group from the archer. Stiltzkin was hiding behind some debris, his shaking pom-pom the only thing that indicated his position.

"KILL!"

Drake allowed the others to kill the remaining black mage, choosing instead to study it. It wore a purple coat, and baggy white pants, and though it wore a straw hat like Vivi, it was pointed fully to the top, and had no decoration to it. They held no staff, and their vacant yellow eyes were set in an unseen face. The mage fell quickly, and Drake shook his head a little, feeling sorry for the mages again.

Zorn emerged from the building again, and Drake slowly slipped an arrow from his quiver, moving slowly enough that he wouldn't get the jesters' attention.

"The general will punish you for this!" Zorn hopped to look down at them, glaring directly at Zidane. Drake already knew who he was referring to. Though he was uneasy about General Beatrix, he knew that they would likely survive the fight. Though they were almost certainly going to be knocked out, they would survive.

"Yes! Very scary, it is, when the general gets mad!" Drake was sighting down his arrow by now, aiming for a bell on Zorn's ridiculous hat. A chime sounded through the air as a bell fell, and the jesters turned their attention to the archer.

"MY BELLS! YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT, YOU CUR!" Drake merely smirked, his hand already closed around another arrow.

"Perhaps I should remove another? Or should I perhaps remove that which causes them to ring?" The first sentence that had been out of his mouth had been light and slightly joking, and though the second still sounded so, there was a tone of threatening to it.

Drake saw the looks his friends were giving him out of the corner of his eye. Zidane was looking at him as if he had grown another head, and Freya seemed to understand how he had terrified Alexandrian soldiers. The two jesters above seemed to be in a similar state to the soldiers of some time ago. Without another word, they turned and fled into the building, showing their cowardice.

Drake huffed, blowing a bit of water off of his nose, and shook his right arm out slightly, out of habit. An insult towards the two jesters was muttered under his breath before he smiled apologetically towards his friends.

"Didn't know you could be so venomous, Drake." The archer scratched the back of his neck at Zidane's comment as they headed towards the unblocked door leading into that house that they could see. He was pretty sure there was another, because if he remembered right, the jester twins weren't seen again for a while.

The interior of the building was bordering on opulent, which made Drake lift an eyebrow, as the rest of the city had been elegant and slightly simplistic, but he didn't make any comment, even to Freya's muttering. It seemed that she had known the people who owned this house. Seeing that it was a dead end, they backed out of the only room they had access to, and walked up the stairs to a red door that had been hidden from their sight by a pair of columns. Or at least had been hidden from Drake's sight.

The inside of this room was much plainer than the other, and Zidane helped himself to a couple of things, always making sure that Freya wasn't looking. Drake was sure that she had seen and simply didn't really care. Judging by what he had heard of her muttered comments, she didn't like the people who owned the building.

"UWAH!" Drake turned his head to see Zidane backing up quickly from a chest he had opened...which had two sets of arms coming from the teeth-lined opening. A screech made Drake wince and cover one of his ears, and a warbling call came from an open window above them. A creature that looked like a bastard cross between a Burmecian and a lizard dropped to stand between Zidane and the rest of the group.

"A Magic Vice...and a Mimic. I should have expected the Mimic. They were always slightly paranoid about thieves." Freya hefted her spear, eyeing the Magic Vice. Drake was trying to decide which he should help with first, the Vice that was standing between him and the man he had just started to consider his brother, or the Mimic that was looking like it was trying to chew said man's face off.

Freya dealt with the Vice easily, dispelling Drake's problem, and the archer quickly shot an arrow towards the living box, yelling to let the others get out of the way for the moment he needed. Vivi cast Fire on the box, making it shriek in pain. Drake lifted an eyebrow for a moment. He couldn't remember what Mimics were weak to...but it seemed like it was Fire. Which made sense, since it was an animated box made out of wood. Another screech brought another Magic Vice to its side, and Drake frowned slightly. Zidane finished off the Mimic as Drake shot the Vice through its head, pinning it to the wall.

"Kupo...You all work so well as a team!" Drake blinked. He had forgotten Stiltzkin was following them. Zidane smiled at the moogle, and picked up the pouch of Gil that had been dropped, jingling it at his friends.

"Jackpot!" Drake rolled his eyes, smirking. Zidane was the sort to avoid dealing with anything that wasn't small, metallic and circular in shape, when it came to money. Meaning that he preferred to steal it from others than to work for it. "Here, Drake, you keep hold of it. You've got that magic pouch thing." Drake rolled his eyes, but caught the pouch and tucked it into the one hanging off of his belt. He was going to have to make several arrows soon, to start cutting down on the feathers he was carrying.

They passed into the rain again, and in to the other building, the one they had seen and entered first. Zidane, seeing a chest and having not learned his previous lesson, charged towards it. His movements caused the walkway he had run onto to crash down to the floor below, taking him with it.

"Zidane!" A cough, groan, and a sarcastic comment let them know he was just fine. Drake chuckled before slinging his bow around his shoulders and climbing down to where Zidane was picking himself up. "Trust you to find the easy way down."

"Not so easy. I think I got a bruise." Zidane eyed the box near him now, and decided to avoid it. Freya dropped down and caught Vivi and Stiltzkin as they dropped down. Quina decided to take the long way around, and Drake shook his head as they headed into the next room.

It looked to be a study or something, to him. He noted the two corpses that lay near what looked like a fireplace, the male garbed in the remnants of what had once been rich clothing and looking like he had been trying to protect the woman. Both were charred. Drake and the others quickly left their tomb.

Out on the broken balcony, Zidane hopped across the gap, and Drake looked to Freya before following him. The Dragon Knight nodded once the archer was across the gap, showing that she'd stay with the moogle and the black mage. Once Drake entered the room, he found Zidane, supporting a Burmecian soldier that was still alive, if barely.

"Protect the king...please..." The soldier breathed out, and didn't breath back in. Drake gently reached out and closed his eyes, feeling sadness and grief fill him. Zidane laid the soldier down and silently went to get the bell that he had told the thief about, before leading Drake back across to where the others were waiting. Quina had caught up while they were on their errand.

Drake was handed the bell to hold onto, which he found a little odd, as he had a weapon that required both hands to use, but didn't comment on it, deciding it would be okay for him to stand at the back of the group until they used the bell. And there were a few.

A group of green lizards with huge yellow eyes and tongues too large for their mouths had faced the group, only to be wiped out in a moment by a slightly panicking Freya. Drake knew why, and approved of how quickly she had reacted. Basilisks were not fun enemies.

Before long, they were standing at the battered gate. The door itself still stood strong, unbroken. There was a segment of the fence to the left of it that was broken, however, and a few vines hanging from it. Freya didn't pay any mind to that, however, marching straight up to the door and ringing the bell as soon as she had taken it from Drake. Like the ones in Gizamaluke's Grotto, it shattered, leaving a few small cuts on the Dragon Knight's hand.

Beyond the gate was a tunnel lined with torches. Water poured down the steps ahead of them, making Drake wonder why they were even there. He was sure he would need new boots by the time they got to Cleyra.

"Zidane." They all paused to look at Freya even though she had only said the thief's name. "Burmecia's royal palace is just beyond these steps. It must be in ruins, just like everything else. I can't bear to see it like that..." Drake shook his head, smiling a little at her worry.

"Freya...it's better to see the truth rather than let your imagination run wild." They all looked to Drake in surprise. "Besides, we can't go back now. Not when we've come so far. I haven't hardened my heart to turn tail and run. We have to find out who's behind this." Drake knew he was stealing Zidane's line, but really, he had always found Zidane to not say quite the right thing.

"...I wanna find out who those guys were...and why I look like them." Drake smiled slightly to Vivi as he spoke up. He was wondering when the kid had stopped stuttering when he spoke. He was sounding much more confident than he had when the archer had first met him.

"Look, Vivi's scared, too. But we have to face reality." Drake nodded to Zidane's words, as did Vivi. The Dragon Knight looked at them, and then smiled.

"Thank you. All three of you. You're right, we need to continue on." Drake blinked as he realized that they were going on without Freya speaking her next few lines. "Vivi...The answer you seek may change your life for the worse...Do you really want it?" Drake glanced over his shoulder at the black mage, who wasn't answering Freya's question as they climbed. So Freya had asked it anyway, but Drake had changed things. How much would he change? What if he endangered the story simply by being there? He shook such thoughts out of his head as a Burmecian soldier and his family rounded the corner in front of them.

"Who?! Are you in league with the black mages?!" Drake, in the front of the group with Zidane, held his hands up placatingly, shaking his head. But the soldier's eyes weren't on him. "You're lying! There's a black mage right behind you!" This earned a slight glare from Drake. He wasn't overly fond of the kid, but he didn't deserve this kind of hatred!

"No! I didn't do anything! I would never hurt anyone!" Drake's hand rested on his bow, ready to defend Vivi if needed. He hoped that Freya stuck to the events he knew. Otherwise this could get ugly.

"He's telling the truth." Good, she did. Actually, a little earlier than she had in the game, but Drake wasn't about to complain.

"...Freya?" The Burmecian soldier, Dan, relaxed his stance, seeing a familiar, friendly face. Drake removed his hand from his bow, and trotted up the steps a bit past Dan's family to keep an eye out for enemies.

Freya and Dan chatted a bit, and then the family scurried down the steps, their pawed feet splashing in the running water. Dan seemed surprised that they weren't running with them, and Drake smirked slightly down the steps. Freya calmly got the information she...no, they needed from the man, and then continued on up the steps.

"We need to cover more ground...Drake, you and I will search this way. Zidane, you take Quina, Vivi, and the moogle around that way." They all nodded and split up.

Drake noticed that Zidane immediately went to where he would find Wei and Kal, a pair of Burmecians that he would save, while he and Freya went up the stairs on the right to check inside. The first door, the one on the right, didn't lead anywhere, so they headed in the left door. Drake heard the rumble of the statue inside falling, and, when they entered, saw Zidane's tail disappearing out the door. They'd soon be joining them.

"So much for splitting up." Freya smiled thinly at Drake's comment, and they waited at the door. Once the others were there, they went through revealing a plaza that Drake certainly knew. After all, this was where they would be leaving Stiltzkin.

"The armories are still intact. Perhaps we should go search for something of use." Freya led the way to the storehouse that held her new spear, and Drake merely paused in the doorway, looking around. It was bigger than it had seemed in the game, with several pots of spears lining the walls. There was even some discarded armor lying off to the side, though he doubted any of them would ever use it. "This spear...yes, this should do. It's light and easy to use." Zidane nodded to Freya from his place partway in the door, and Vivi grabbed onto the green scarf wound around Drake's belt as if it were his hand. Quina was trying to fish in the fountain in the middle of the plaza.

A touch on Drake's shoulder announced that they were ready to go, and they headed off again, to the next storehouse. A frightened 'kupo' came as soon as the door was opened, and they all looked at each other and Stiltzkin, who slipped in the door ahead of them.

"Atla! Am I ever glad to see you safe." Drake entered the storehouse after his moogle friend, but again didn't go much farther than the door.

"Well, we said we'd protect you until you found someone to stay with Stiltzkin. And this storehouse seems to be full of artwork, so we'll leave now." The moogle Atla jumped at the mention that they had been protecting the traveling merchant, and called for him to wait, pulling something out from behind a painting.

"Take this with you, kupo! It might come in handy!" Drake accepted the anklet that the moogle offered, noticing the four-leaf clover bead on it. He remembered there being a Lightning Staff in here, but since Vivi had just recently gotten a new staff, it wasn't really needed. The group waved to the moogles as they headed towards the amphitheatre, where Drake knew trouble waited for them.

They approached the barred door that was the main way into the large structure, and Freya looked up towards the roof. Drake could tell that she was concentrating hard on listening. They were all silent, except for Zidane, who chatted at Freya nervously. Freya suddenly jumped up onto the statue standing next to the door, and Drake was again amazed at how high she could jump. She knelt on top of the statue's head and called down to them.

"There's someone inside the palace!" Drake could barely hear her above the rain. "What are you waiting for? Get up here." Drake sent her an 'are you blind or an idiot' look. She was the only one that could jump like that! Zidane started to climb the statue anyway, and Drake looked to Vivi and Quina.

"You go and catch up to her, Zidane. Vivi, Quina, and me'll find another way in." The thief paused to look down at them, and nodded. They split up accordingly, Drake being especially wary. He didn't know what to expect here, after all.

They found an unbarred entrance soon enough, though, and they snuck along the columns to spy on the people standing in the rain. Drake, recalling what Quina said in the game, supposed that it was because of him that they got there so fast. After all, he didn't let Quina stop to look in vain for food.

"Who are they?" Drake glanced to Vivi, who was crouching under him. "I recognize the queen from the play, but I don't know the other woman." Drake looked to Beatrix, feeling adrenaline already start to course through his veins. This would be a difficult fight.

Footsteps in the water made Drake tense. There he was, the conductor of all the madness. He hardly seemed to notice the rain falling on his silver hair. Nor did he seem to truly be affected by it.

"I find this rain to be quite pleasant. It feels as though the raindrops are blessing our victory." Drake felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise at Kuja's smooth tenor voice. There was a hidden power behind it that it seemed only Drake was aware of. Gods, he was terrifying in person! Every fiber of his body was telling him to run away as fast as he could, and never look back. He knew that he could sense mana in people, but did Kuja truly have that much?!

"This is a great victory for us. Kuja, your black mages made this conquest so simple." Brahne even sounded ugly, for crying out loud. Her surprisingly high pitched voice grated on Drake's nerves. "My only concern now is finding the King of Burmecia. We must take care of him once and for all, and prevent these rats from ever rising up again." Drake couldn't help but scowl at Brahne's thinking.

Simply because they were not human, those beings with animal features were considered to be lesser. Drake knew it wasn't the case. Heck, look at Zidane and Freya for proof! Drake was a full blown human, and he would easily get taken out by either of them.

"Beatrix, what's taking so long?" Drake peered at the trio as the queen snapped at her general, who hadn't moved from her side. How was the woman supposed to know?

"I don't know, Your Majesty. I've ordered Zorn and Thorn to search the perimeter, but there's been no word so far. I will join them and lead the search right away." Beatrix started to walk away when Kuja started to chuckle, crossing his arms in his chest.

"You're wasting your time. Rats often look for new homes when they sense an earthquake. They probably moved to the sandy tree house by now." Drake could feel himself quivering as Kuja spoke. He wasn't like this when he first killed. So why react so now? "So you see, it's too late. The king as already turned tail and fled."

"Sandy tree house...Surely you don't mean Cleyra?! It'll be quite difficult if they escaped to Cleyra." Drake frowned as he wondered where the soldier that would nearly get himself killed by the general was.

"Cleyra...Unless we can get through that sandstorm, it will be impossible to attack them." Beatrix sounded frustrated. Drake knew that it was likely merely from trying to mentally envision an invasion of the peaceful settlement.

"Sneaky little rats! Kuja, what do you think? Surely, with your powers, there must be something you can do."

"Of course, Your Majesty. I will present you a marvelous display of my power. I am certain that you will be most pleased." The madman's tone was courteous and slightly subservient, likely exactly what Brahne wanted to hear. "I was wondering if you would gather your troops near Cleyra. I'm certain those filthy rats will retaliate in full force, and my black mages may not be enough."

'He's just trying to lure them into an early grave.' Drake narrowed his eyes, and then widened them as he spotted the soldier that he was looking for dart from the other side of the amphitheatre. "No!" Drake managed to keep his voice low as he straightened from his crouch, starting to reveal his position. Vivi's tug kept him from doing so.

'Burmecia will never fall! Prepare to die!!!" Drake tugged free of Vivi as Beatrix started to pull out her sword.

"You wish to fight me, Beatrix of Alexandria?" The soldier seemed to be quite surprised to hear that name. None of the trio seemed to notice the archer standing at their backs, though he wasn't really much of a threat yet, as he hadn't drawn an arrow from his quiver yet.

"B-Beatrix!?"

"I commend your courage, but I will show you no mercy." Freya and Zidane dropped down from the balcony above Drake and the others' position, landing with a splash on the ground. The noise made General Beatrix turn around as Drake, Vivi, and Quina ran up to stand behind their two melee fighters.

"Hold it!"

"You'll have to deal with us, first!" The soldier took advantage of the distraction to run past the general to their side. Freya turned her head to look at him, already in her battle stance. "We'll take care of this. Go find the king. Protect him with your life." The soldier nodded and continued to run.

"Hahaha. I've never been so humiliated in my life. I once killed a hundred knights single-handedly...To me, two five are nothing more than insects." Drake pulled an arrow from his quiver, nocking it with an easy movement.

"Then let me handle them." Drake froze. This didn't happen in the game. There were only supposed to be Beatrix, Brahne, and Kuja here. Who was this fourth person?

Footsteps sounded from behind Kuja, who had a smug smile on his face. Drake shivered as he realized the madman had been staring at him this whole time. The archer's dark eyes slid to the form that was revealing itself, and his face went pale, his eyes opening wide with disbelief.

A very pretty brunette had appeared, seeming to be oblivious to the rivulets that the rain was making as it beaded against her bared skin. Her hair clung to her body and face, framing fox-sly eyes. A silver pendant lay on lightly tanned skin above a short tan leather corset. Thigh-high boots glistened wetly against a dark red overskirt and black miniskirt. Two mythril blades gleamed as they dripped water.

"Hello again, Drake."

~.~*~.~*~.~*~.~*~.~

Dun dun dunn!

Sorry, couldn't resist. Can you guess who the woman is? I'll give you a hint, she was wearing a different colored outfit last we saw her. How is Drake going to react to this? What implications will this have on the rest of the plot? Find out in the next-

Cosmos: Ah, Dreylen, there you are.

Dreylen: ...~turns to look at glowing woman standing by closet~ ...You weren't there a moment ago.

Cosmos: ~chuckles slightly~ Indeed I wasn't. I've a question to ask you, though.

Dreylen: ~sits up on bed and leans chin on hand~ And that is?

Cosmos: How would you like to live with my warriors? I've yet to find a proper female warrior who will get along with the rest, and you seem to be able to understand them.

Dreylen: ...Me, a woman who has only had combat experience with foam swords and slipped and sprained her hip last time she did so.

Cosmos: You know that you only slipped because of the rain.

Dreylen: Still. Besides, I'm not exactly in shape, I have a job, and a boyfriend.

Cosmos: I'll give you the weapon you've been dreaming of for years...

Dreylen: ~suddenly interested~ Berserker's Delight?

Cosmos: The very one. I must admit, you've a better imagination for a personal weapon than most I've seen. A blade that can chance to whichever size and style you need it to be... Of course you'll have to learn to fight with all those weapons you choose to.

Dreylen: ~not really listening past the fact she's gonna get her weapon~ Deal!

Cosmos: Wonderful! I'll just go and tell your boss that you're going to be moving. ~disappears in a flash of light~

Dreylen: Wha-hey! Darn it, I was going to ask if I could get out of working. Ah, well. ~looks back to screen~ Tune in next chapter!


	8. Removing the Mask

Dreylen: Welcome to the final chapter of To Have Loved and Lost! Yes, that's right, I'm breaking this story into segments.

Kittypoptart: Lynnn~ Come on, we need to work on costumes~

Dreylen: Jeez...I'll be there in a sec! Go bug your brother for a little bit.

Kittypoptart: ...but he's _your_ boyfriend...

Dreylen: ...Tell you what. You do my disclaimer for me, and I'll not only be there faster, but I'll draw up another costume for you.

Kittypoptart: Kay! Dreylen doesn't own any of the Final Fantasy games. She only owns Kole and Anastasia. Oh, and Acacia, Anastasia's servant girl.

~.~*~.~*~.~*~.~*~.~

Chapter 7: Removing the Mask

Drake stared at the young woman who stopped just by Kuja's side. He wasn't aware that he had stopped breathing until his lungs reminded him he needed oxygen to survive. He felt as if all the rain that had soaked into him since he entered Burmecia had just turned to ice in his veins.

"Ana...stasia...?"

The brunette smiled, but it didn't hold the same kindness and beauty that Drake had gotten accustomed to seeing. He saw her not as a woman that looked exactly like Cass anymore. He saw her as she truly was.

"I must admit, I wasn't expecting to see you here. Had I known you'd take it into your head to meddle, I would have prevented you from coming." Another chill ran down Drake's spine.

_Tik._ The arrow that Drake had nocked to his bow fell to the ground.

Anastasia was with Kuja. The woman that looked so much like his Cassandra was working with the madman responsible for all the chaos they would be going through. He was her 'benefactor', the one she had spoken of so fondly. She actually _liked_ Kuja.

"...Why? Why are you doing this?!" Drake's hands were shaking slightly as he stared dejectedly at the woman before him. She tilted her head to the side and lifted an eyebrow, an obviously faked expression of confusion on her face.

"Why? Simple. I am my master's pawn. I will strike as he orders me to, move as he commands." Drake tilted his head down, his hair quickly plastering itself to his face despite the cloth he had wrapped around his head.

"Zidane." The thief turned his head to show he was listening. "I can't fight her." The archer's voice was full of pain. His bow was held in a slackened grip, but didn't fall to the ground as the man stood unguarded.

The general and queen of Alexandria stared bemused at the archer, while the silver-haired man standing at the red mage's side merely smirked in triumph. The red mage in question had a disappointed look in her eyes, understanding the gesture the archer was making with his actions.

"And here I was thinking that you'd be strong enough to overcome any hurdle in your way. How pathetic." Anastasia lifted her right hand sword and swung it for a moment, magic swirling visibly about her form in multi-colored orbs. "At the very least, allow me to end your meaningless existence." She started forwards again, her dark brown boots splashing softly in the shallow puddles.

Drake lifted his head at that, and stared at the woman walking towards him. His eyes were full of pain and emotion. Fear, sadness, anger, disappointment, and grief were foremost. The eyes that he stared into were devoid of emotion. He could see past her mask, now that he knew what she was truly like.

A pair of backs appeared between the archer and the red mage, shielding him as they readied a spear and a pair of daggers respectively. A small hand grasped Drake's empty one, and he looked down at the black mage that looked up to him.

"We won't let you. He may have too kind a heart to lift a hand to a manipulative little bitch like you, but we have no such qualms." Anastasia scoffed and shook her head to make her wet hair flick about.

"Protecting the weak? How foolish. It is the way of the world that the weak die and the strong continue to live. To allow one who cannot fight someone they know to live is to go against the flow of nature." The magic she had summoned still swirled around her. "It goes against my honor. Now, perish."

A Thundara spell smashed into Drake from above, making him yell in pain and fall to his knees. His bow skittered away from his grip as he planted his hands on the ground, twitching slightly in pain. A coppery taste made him spit, and he saw blood on the ground before him.

"Drake!" He had been the only one hit? He coughed and started to get up when he heard metal clashing in front of him. It took more energy than he wanted just to lift his head and look.

Anastasia was strong, no doubt. Zidane was having to use both daggers just to barely hold off one of her swords. Freya looked to be hard-pressed as well. However, they threw her off by pushing hard at the same time, and the archer started to stagger to his feet. Orbs of magic were starting to swirl around Anastasia again as she laughed slightly, spinning away from the two warriors gracefully.

"Now, you two are as strong as I would want! Come, dance with me. Dance with your death!" Drake's eye twitched slightly. Anastasia was enjoying this. Unholy glee lit her eyes as she taunted his two friends.

"Blizzara!" Drake coughed again as Vivi launched his spell. That Thundara had made him bite the inside of his cheek, and now that the vestiges of the electrical attack was seeping from his body into the ground, he could feel more of the pain. "What?!"

Vivi's yelp was the only warning that Drake got before the icy spell hit him. The archer screamed in pain as the ice formed around him, freezing the water that was covering him. The spikes that created the signature look of the spell shattered, and made the rest do the same, cutting into Drake's skin.

"Drake!!" The archer pushed himself back up from where he had fallen, shaking his head to Zidane's call. He opened his mouth to speak, only to cough up more blood. "Drake, hang on!" The archer spat out a clod of blood as a pair of hands helped him to sit.

"Keep fighting, Zidane! I'll help him." Drake forced his eyes open as he heard Vivi's voice near him. That he was forced to accept help from the little mage told him just how bad off he was.

A small bottle was held to Drake's lips, and the archer swallowed it carefully, wincing as he felt it sting the cut inside of his mouth. Immediately, his wounds started to heal. He recognized it to be a Hi-potion by taste, and coughed slightly again.

"She's got...protective spells engraved into her bracelets," the archer croaked, his voice already damaged by how hard he'd been coughing. "Shell...Protect...and Reflect. Sh' feeds mana into 'em...to activate the...spell." Drake had to pause as he spoke to cough slightly.

Drake wiped the back of his hand over his mouth as Vivi relayed the information to Zidane and Freya. Zidane's reaction was to immediately curse, Drake knew, but the thief must have held back because of Vivi's presence.

"We could have known that a bit sooner. But thanks!" Drake merely nodded, feeling absolutely useless. Despite the fact that he was watching the woman he had started to feel affection for beating his friends into submission, he still could not bring himself to reach for his bow to attack her.

"Ngh..." Drake flinched as he felt pain flare through him, and then noticed a couple of transparent orbs flying towards Anastasia from him. Had she just used...? The woman gestured slightly as she absorbed the orbs, bowing mockingly towards him. "She just used Drain on me, right, Vivi?" The black mage glanced at the archer with a worried look in his eyes.

"Yeah...You're still alright, right?" Drake nodded, and decided that it was time for him to try to stand again. Quina lay on its back a few yards away, knocked out already. Anastasia had found it to be rather annoying. Drake wouldn't have been surprised to find out that she was taking out her aggression towards Quinn on poor Quina. From what he'd seen, she hadn't liked the Qu much at all.

"Come now, you're starting to bore me. Do you have no other tricks?" Drake gritted his teeth as he heard Anastasia's taunting. Something inside of his emotions snapped, and he stepped forwards, pulling off the yellow scarf he'd had on his head.

Vivi looked up at the archer as he stepped forwards, peeling off his archer's sleeve and dropping his quivers to the ground. The black mage sent the serious young man a concerned look, until he saw how he dodged Anastasia's sword strike.

"Sorry. I've decided I can't sit off to the side anymore." A hard kick towards the red mage slammed into a Protect barrier, and she sent him a slight smirk. Drake was glaring now, though.

"So you aren't all light and forgiveness. Perhaps you aren't as weak as I had thought?" Anastasia swiped at Drake with both swords, ignoring Zidane and Freya for the time being. The archer either dodged them all, or slapped them away with an open hand. "You aren't used to fighting barehanded, though, I can tell. Are you perhaps simply desperate?" Drake frowned to the red mage's taunting, refusing to react in the way she wanted him to.

The archer was hoping that Zidane or Freya would understand what he was doing, and somehow take advantage of Anastasia's distraction. They hadn't looked _too_ worn out, thankfully. He noticed them try to attack her, but always her Protect spell blocked them. She wasn't even getting touched. And since she was merely activating the spell for seconds at a time, she wasn't even losing much mana anymore. The wounds that Drake had sustained because of the Blizzara that had bounced off of her Reflect were opening, though, weakening him.

"I tire of this." Magic swirled around Anastasia again, and she broke away from the fighters to hold her swords crossed in front of her, her eyes closing for a brief moment. "Sky's wrath and winter storm, meld before me, gain new form!" The light that had been glowing on the tips of Anastasia's swords became one as she uncrossed them, floating in front of the triumphantly smirking red mage.

The orb of light was sparking slightly as it froze the water falling around it. What had she just done? The single orb of light broke into two as the red mage swung her right sword through it, and then into four as the left did the same. Zidane, Freya, and Drake all exchanged confused looks as the red mage held her swords out to the sides. Vivi was stupefied, staring at the small orbs with wonder.

"Now, DIE!" Drake yelped as the orbs flew towards him and his friends as Anastasia swung her swords to point towards them, a malevolent grin on her face. One of the orbs connected with his chest, and he screamed in pain, falling to the ground on his side.

His lungs felt like they were freezing inside of him! He couldn't control his movements, so he wasn't able to do anything about the ice that crept up along his arms and chest before shattering, opening even more wounds. His blood was pounding so loud in his ears that he was unable to hear if the others were suffering the same way or not, but the twitching finally started to subside after a few moments, leaving him with barely enough will to stay conscious.

"Ah, and here I was wishing that I could _truly_ test myself." Drake felt his anger start to build as he heard Anastasia's words. She sounded like a person that had just realized that they were inconvenienced, not like she had just tried to kill them all.

"You see, general, they were pests, unworthy to even stain your blade." The sound of metal made Drake realize that Anastasia was sheathing her swords. The others were down for the count as well, it seemed.

"Indeed. Come, Beatrix. We must prepare to attack Cleyra." Boots moving against wet stone marked the woman general turning to salute her fat queen.

"Yes, Your Majesty." The rustling of fabric and clear bootsteps announced that the two Alexandrians had moved away. Softer bootsteps made Drake grit his teeth slightly and look up, blinking at the rain that fell into his eyes.

"Now, what do we have here...? Another filthy rat, and..." Drake noticed that Kuja sounded thoughtful as he looked over the fallen fighters, and fought against the darkness that threatened to consume his mind. "Ah, this one's still alive. My dear, your conquest seems to be more resilient than you had thought."

A sharp kick to Drake's back made the archer close his eyes in pain. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction of hearing him cry out in pain. Not anymore. A twisted woman like her deserved none of the affection that he could have given her. Not when she looked to a madman for such.

"Indeed. A pity that he is weak, though. He had seemed like he would be so fun, too." Fingers brushed Drake's arm, tracing along his deltoid muscle until they reached the green ribbon that was tied there. "This should do as a souvenir." Those soft fingers plucked at the knot that had kept the fabric there, and the strip was removed from his skin.

"Keeping something of his? My dear, whatever are you thinking?" Drake gritted his teeth as he heard the slight teasing tone Kuja was taking. The bastard's tenor voice was grating on his nerves, and the eerie feeling of panic that had struck Drake earlier returned with the adrenaline in his system fading.

"That perhaps, since he has survived a spell mix, he shall get stronger and return to me. Perhaps then he will be worthy." Drake wanted to reach for his belt knife, for any weapon, just to get them away from him. He needed to get to the others, to make sure that they were alive.

Bootsteps announced that one of them was wandering away, as wingbeats sounded. The silver dragon was arriving. Drake forced his eyes open, fighting against gravity, it seemed, and saw Kuja walking towards Zidane. He distantly heard the silver-haired man comment that the thief could become a nuisance for him before his eyelids forced themselves closed again, darkness spreading through his mind.

~~.~~.~~.~~.~~

Kuja turned from the group of fallen warriors and started towards his beloved apprentice, who was tying the scrap of low-grade fabric to her upper right arm, as the boy she'd taken it from had. It disappeared under the sheer fabric that served as her sleeves, hiding the color from view and keeping it from clashing with the rest of the colors she wore.

The magician laughed slightly and started to climb up onto the Silver Dragon, holding a hand out to help the young woman he had raised to do the same. He was truly pleased with her skills, especially in the art that he himself had created: mixing spells. She was unable to cast high level spells yet, but her mastery of the art more than made up for the lack of variety.

"Come, my dear one. To Treno." Anastasia smiled at her benefactor and nodded, seating herself gently on the Silver Dragon's back. She looked towards the warriors as they lifted off, in time to see the rat woman lift her hand as if to stop them.

They traveled in silence for a time, Anastasia spending most of it meditating, sorting through the magics she had learned and putting them back into order after her spell mix had mixed them up slightly.

"My dear...what you said to those warriors was not entirely true." The red mage turned her head to look towards her silver-haired master, slightly surprised. "You are no pawn of mine, my dear. Pawns are things to use and throw away. I have put effort into shaping you into the most useful tool possible. You, my dear, are my knight. Moving in ways others cannot, slipping past when others cannot..." A slender hand stroked the auburn hair in the orange light surrounding Treno. "To call yourself a pawn is to insult all the effort I have sunk into you." Anastasia lowered her eyes as the eternal sunset changed to eternal night.

"I apologize, master." A chuckle, and Kuja turned to look towards the city. His beautiful knight still had some training to do. She needed to improve how many spells she could use, after all.

The Silver Dragon landed on the roof of his mansion in Treno, and the guards that were stationed there stood at attention as Kuja and Anastasia descended from their ride. They saluted as the two magic users approached. Kuja continued to smile, even as he saw that one of the soldiers glanced towards his apprentice. He would have to be removed, as Kuja could not afford for the girl to be distracted by anything not of his own choosing.

"My lord Kings! Young Lady Kings! Welcome back!" Kuja nodded to the guards' greeting, and continued on past them. Just inside the door, the master turned to his apprentice.

"My dear, I've ordered new books for you to study. They should be in your quarters by now." Anastasia, understanding, bowed slightly to Kuja before turning and continuing to walk. The silver-haired man waited until she was out of earshot, and then turned to walk back onto the roof.

The Silver Dragon had retired to the structure that served as its nest while in Treno. The guards, newcomers that didn't know Kuja's ways yet, cast nervous glances in the beast's direction. Kuja studied the guard that had rested his eyes far too long on Anastasia's body. The man quickly noticed the attention, and shuffled nervously. It seemed he'd heard rumors of how jealously guarded the lord's adopted daughter was.

Without a word, Kuja summoned up an eight foot tower of flame to consume the errant guard, while the other watched on in horrified, terrified silence. Yet another loyal servant to Lord Kings was born.

Anastasia Cassul Kings stepped into the quarters she had in her master's residence in Treno, ignoring the bowing, nervous maids that she passed by. Whereas Master Kuja had their fear through his direct actions, Anastasia commanded their obedience through his shadow. Though that wasn't to say that she hadn't electrocuted a few that had particularly irked her.

By the time the red mage was to her study, she had already been told that there was a bath being drawn up for her, and clothes being set out. The woman nodded to the servant that had reported it, and started to look through the books her master had bought for her.

"'Mastery of the elements'...Advanced Status spells...Hm...Oh, and he got me a new book on white magic as well." The last of the three thick books was flipped open, and the red mage peered at the table of contents. "Curaga, Full-Life, Regen...Those are all useful, of course, but...Ah! Now that one I shall make use of. Might...And Dispel as well. Yes, those I shall need to learn. But first..." The red mage frowned at the small puddle she had been creating on the floor, seeming to finally notice it.

"Acacia!" The call drew a rather pretty young blond from the next room, blinking at the brunette. "My bath is drawn, correct?"

"Yes, milady. I shall take care of the puddle while you bathe." Anastasia nodded her satisfaction as she wove through the rooms to her bathroom. Acacia was her favorite servant, and because of that, was treated kinder than the rest.

The bathroom was as luxurious as could be expected in a mansion, though Anastasia didn't seem to be at all dazzled by it. Her wet clothes were shucked off and draped gently over the drying racks. No servants entered here, except to draw her baths and clean up. They were all aware of how fervently independent the woman was.

Anastasia sank into the warm water with a sigh of content, and closed her eyes as she allowed the warmth to sink into her skin and bones. Traveling by air while wet was a good way to become chilled, and she hadn't been wearing much in the way of waterproof clothing. Traveling across the plains had been hard on her as well, and she was in dire need of a bit of rest. Rest which wouldn't be coming soon.

"Milady. Milord has requested that you dress for a social gathering this eve. One of your suitors has asked to spend the evening with you." Anastasia sighed slightly, opening her eyes again. The water was barely chilled.

"I'll be out soon, then. Gather up the gown with the gold belt, would you?" A slight sound of surprise came from the other side of the door.

"The one with the gold belt, milady? You are sure?" Anastasia frowned at the door.

"Yes, I am sure. These inbred fools need to be reminded that I am not as they are. I am a mage in my own right, and no delicate flower to be protected." Anastasia's eyes slid to the green ribbon that was laying on the floor under the drying rack, where it had fallen to.

"Very well, milady." Acacia disappeared from the other side of the closed door, and the red mage got to cleaning herself. Her skin was flawless, and tanned evenly. Her hair fell to the middle of her back and clung there, casting rivulets down her skin until it was wrapped up in a towel and shaken to remove the water.

Anastasia ran her fingers loosely through her hair as she reached for her bathrobe, shrugging it on before padding quietly to her bed chamber. Acacia was waiting by the vanity to do her hair, and the red mage sat in the chair and patiently waited, only wincing when her hair was tugged a little too sharply.

Once her hair was combed and wound up into a bun on the side of her head with tendrils of hair hiding her ears, Anastasia stood and moved to the screen that she dressed behind. A dressing gown was put over her head, and the woman impatiently tugged the fabric until it lay smoothly against her skin, and then frowned at the traditional corset that was wound about her.

She hated this kind of corset. She knew it was to make a woman appear thinner, but it really did nothing but make it impossible to breathe. As a mage, she could still battle in it, yes, but much less effectively.

A long sleeved blouse was offered, and the woman pulled it on, allowing her servant to button up the minute buttons. After the blouse was the gown itself, a beautiful affair of black red and white. It actually had three parts. The bottom most was a dark red skirt, followed by a layer of lighter red that was akin to a gown only in how long it was, revealing the blouse underneath from just above the bust. After that was the heavily decorated overskirt that draped down in front and was secured by a gold cord belt. The whole ordeal dragged along in the back as most of the gowns preferred by her generation did.

The red mage stepped out from behind the dressing screen and looked critically at herself in the full-length mirror that was there for that purpose. She turned to look at her backside once, even, still frowning. She looked like a noblewoman, she supposed. But she still felt bare.

"Acacia, run to the bathroom and fetch my pendant. There's a green ribbon on the floor, fetch that, too. And then find my rapier." The servant nodded and swept off on her errand as the red mage looked at herself, crossing her arms under her chest.

This gown was what she wore when she wished to make an impression as the red mage she was. It was her favorite, and thus, she acted more like herself in it. She even allowed herself to carry a sword with her when she donned it. That fact alone often discouraged many of her suitors, which was what she was planning to do this night.

The door opened, and Anastasia turned to look, knowing who it was already. All the servants knocked, after all. Kuja looked over her appraisingly, and Anastasia slowly turned, as she knew he would ask her to do. The man nodded, smiling, and took a box from under his elbow.

"I've a gift for you, my dear. You wish to shock those fools, yes?" Anastasia stepped forwards to see what he had. She accepted the box that he proffered to her, and gently took the lid off. Her eyebrows went up, and she looked to her master, surprise in her face. "A desert rose, red as blood, with thorns as sharp as your own." Anastasia gently picked up the delicate hair ornament, and smiled.

"Thank you, master." The red mage's voice was soft as she studied the flower. Though it looked as though it were real, the petals were made of the softest silk, and the vines of lacquer. The thorns were genuinely sharp, and the beads hanging off the edge were as bright and vivid as the bloom itself.

"A flower that never dies for my desert rose." Kuja's hand slipped under her chin, and his lips pressed softly to her forehead. Anastasia was shocked. This was the first true sign of affection she had ever received from him. The man chuckled at the expression on her face, and ran his fingers through the bangs at the side of her face for a moment. "Give them no mercy, my knight." Anastasia, more used to this term, nodded hesitantly, her eyes still wide.

Acacia entered the room after Kuja left, likely having curtsied to him in the hall, carrying the three items she had been sent to find, as well as a pair of gloves and a half cape. Her eyes went to the hair ornament that Anastasia was studying again, and she smiled slightly, setting the items down on the vanity so that the red mage could grab them if she wished.

"Your escort should be here in a few minutes, milady." The servant's words brought Anastasia out of her thoughts, and the red mage carefully sat down on the chair before the vanity again, permitting her favorite servant to dab color on her lips and eyelids before impatiently putting a pair of ruby earrings in her own ears and tying the green strip of cloth around her wrist under the cuff of the blouse as Acacia secured the hairpiece in the lady's hair.

Anastasia's pendant was on next, and then the half cape was draped over the left red mage's shoulder and secured there, and Anastasia attached the sheath of her ornamented rapier to the golden cord of her gown. She was then helped with the gloves, and black slippers put onto her feet. After that, the woman cast another look to the mirror, and nodded, finally pleased with what she saw.

Lady Anastasia Cassul Kings swept out of her bed chamber, head held high as she went to crush the hopes of a noble lad that thought himself worthy of her.

~.~*~.~*~.~*~.~*~.~

And that's it for To Have Loved and Lost! I admit, this chapter felt like it was mostly filler...Still, I wanted to fill in more of what Kuja and Anastasia's relationship is. I really hope that I upped how creepy people consider Kuja to be.

Cosmos: Well, you certainly portrayed him convincingly enough.

Dreylen: You again?

Cosmos: Yes, of course. I wanted to make sure you hadn't been getting second thoughts on the subject I offered you last chapter. Here. ~gives several books~

Dreylen: ~looks at the title of the top book~ ...How to be a ninja for dummies...? You know, I take that as an insult to my intelligence. Who do you think I am, Naruto?

Cosmos: Well, I thought it better to be safe than sorry. As for Berserker's Delight, I'm afraid it will take time to make it. So you'll have to make do with that little dirk you bought a while ago.

Dreylen: ~reaches over side of bed and comes up with said weapon~ This thing? It doesn't even have an edge! Besides, I'm no where near fit to fight, and I have a job!

Cosmos: I've spoken to your boss, and she's agreed to lower how many hours you have a week. As for being fit... ~reaches over and touches Dreylen's forehead~ There, that should do it. See you after you move in! ~disappears in a flash of light, leaving a piece of paper with an address behind~

Dreylen: Hey! ~notices that clothes are fitting a bit looser than before~ ...Well, at least I'm thinner.

Anyway, I'll be working on Whispers of the Water for a while, as well as the Dissidia crack fic that I've been hinting at. After I've established those, I will begin to post Tears of the World, the next installment of the True Gaia series.


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